


Time and Time Again

by amaxan



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Gore, Teen Angst, Violent, and violent, this is so old
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-05
Updated: 2013-01-05
Packaged: 2019-11-12 04:44:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 26,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18004049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amaxan/pseuds/amaxan
Summary: Katara and Zuko are forced together due to unfortunate circumstances. Chaos ensues.Basically, what would have happened if Katara hadn't been able to escape from Zuko and the pirates. They are forced to spend a lot of time together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> BEFORE READING THIS FIC  
> Please know that I was a teenager when I wrote this, and while I DO have plans to revise and edit the ever-loving shit out of this fic, I have yet to do so.  
> The story, as it exists, is not something I am happy with. I have grown a lot since I first wrote this (Waaayyyy back in 2013, I was in college, yes, but I wasn't very mature, obviously at the ripe old age of 18).  
> Please do not judge me too harshly for this fic, I am merely posting it on here from my FF account because I would like to continue it, and make it better.  
> Be warned: There are SO many mistakes in this fic. So. Many.

**Chapter 1**

**The Waterbending Scroll**

Katara's heart thudded as she stepped back from the bushes.  _ The pirates! _ She never should have stolen that scroll! She would be at the Northern Water Tribe within a few weeks, surely she could have waited that long to learn waterbending! There was no need for her to try and teach herself!

Slowly, eyes never leaving the bushes through which she had seen the men, she crept back to the sandy area where she left the scroll. She wanted it only so that there would be no trace of her presence (or at least, that's what she told herself). Something rustled in the bushes nearby, causing Katara to quickly turn and run...head first into a bloody pirate. She danced away from his grabbing hands and sprinted away from him, only to bump into someone else.

He grabbed her wrists and held her close before she could even register his face. As his face came into focus, her heart dropped into her stomach, which then hugged it tight. She looked at his eyes, filled to the brim with the flames of hate. His left eye seemed to have overflowed and the flames had burned away the flesh surrounding it. Katara's pulse quickened and her blood turned to ice. She could not have landed into the arms of anyone she feared more.  _ Prince Zuko. _

"I'll save you from the pirates." He said in such a way that it sounded more like a threat than a promise. His vice grip on her thin wrists was anything but reassuring.

Katara winced as the rough bark of the tree dug into her back. The ropes chaffed at her already sore wrists. She felt humiliated! She was a waterbender! Sure, she was still roughly a beginner, but she had been captured with such ease that it was shameful! She tugged at the ropes more, hoping to loosen them, at least the tiniest bit.

"Tell me where he is and I won't you or your brother." Katara looked up as the prince threatened her. She knew he had no idea where her brother was. It would take more than some macho words to loosen her tongue.

"Go jump in a river!" She retorted, putting as much hate into the words as she could. The prince's face changed from one of anger to one of charm (or at least an attempt to appear charming, it was hard when you were mostly bald).

"Try to understand," He pleaded as Katara turned her face away from him, "I need to capture him to restore something I've lost," the Prince circled Katara, prowling. She continued to face away from him, looking bored, "My honor."

Katara felt his hot breath as he loomed in closer, too close for comfort. His skin was barley an inch away from hers. She felt her heartbeat begin to race and her palms began to sweat. She still had a fear of firebenders, it was almost too much for her to be so very close to one.

"Perhaps in exchange, I can restore something you've lost." The prince murmured into Katara's ear, causing the hair on the nape of her neck to stand up. Katara's eyes widened in shock as the prince brought his hands close to her neck. Between his two hands, there was a very familiar necklace.  _ How DARE he touch that necklace! _

"My mother's necklace!" She cried out in a mixture of shock and anger. The prince smirked, he knew he had her  _ full _ attention now. Carelessly, he dangled the jewelery in front of her before walking slowly and victoriously away. Rage filled Katara.

"How did you get that?" She demanded.

"I didn't  _ steal _ it, if that's what you're wondering," The prince jested. Katara shamefully looked towards the ground for a moment before putting her full glare back onto the prince, "Tell me where he is."

"No!" Katara replied. It pained her to see her mother's memento at the hands of a firebender, but her loyalty to Aang and her brother was stronger than her love for a necklace. The captain of the pirates grew tired of the Prince's silly games and stepped forward.

"Enough of this necklace garbage," he growled, "You promised us the scroll!"

The prince, who knew it would eventually come to this, glared at the captain. Slowly, he pulled something out from behind his back. The scroll. The captain smiled, happy that he would be getting his pay so that he and his crew could be on his way. The smile faded quickly as he watched the prince place his free hand under the scroll and create flames that seemed to lick at the scroll.

"I wonder how much this is worth," The prince said in an innocent voice. Katara looked at him,  _ He's even worse than the pirates! _

"No!" The pirates shouted, stepping towards the prince. The prince smirked.

"Apparently a lot. Now you help me find what I want, you'll get this back, and everyone goes home happy. Search the woods for the boy and meet back here." The captain glared at the prince, his hands were tied.

"Fine." He spat as he turned around and directed his crew towards the woods. They disappeared into the dark forest with mumbles of "brat", "should teach him his place", and "he would make an excellent pirate."

Sokka yawned and stretched out. Blinking slowly, he sat up and looked around in a daze. His eyes sharpened as he noticed something missing, his sister. Darn it! It was that stupid scroll, he knew he should have never let her keep it! She was obsessed with that thing. Grunting, he quickly got up and threw all of his and Katara's belongings onto Appa. Once the camp was packed up, he shook Aang awake.

"Huh?" The airbender said as he rubbed sleep away from his eyes.

"It's Katara! She took the scroll! It's only a matter of time before she gets us all into big trouble!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Oh." Was all Aang said as he began to snuggle back into his sleeping bag. Sokka gently kicked the brat.

"C'mon, Aang, we have to go get her. We need to leave before the pirates find us." The air nomad jumped up at the mention of pirates and quickly threw his belongings onto Appa. Before Sokka even realized the boy was up, Aang was seated on top of Appa's big head.

"Hurry up, Sokka! What are you waiting for?" Aang called. Sokka sighed and slapped his forehead with such force that it left a giant red mark.

"Careful, Sokka, we don't want anyone to think  _ you're _ the avatar!" Aang laughed as Sokka, grumbling something about "stupid hippies" climbed onto Appa. Aang gave his signature "Yip-yip!" As Appa launched the two up into the air. Unbeknown to them, a pirate happened to see them depart. He ran as fast as he could to his captain to report the news.

"WHAT?" The prince yelled, flames bursting from his palms as the captain reported Aang and Sokka's departure. The prince's plan had backfired, he never expected the Avatar to leave without his little friend.

Katara was awash with emotions. She was glad that Aang and her brother were out of harms reach, but she felt betrayed. She would never leave Aang with the enemies like that. And her own brother! He had abandoned her to the hands of the Prince of the Fire Nation! The very nation that had killed their mother! How could he?

Katara's throat closed up and she felt the need to sob out her betrayal and devastation. She was at the mercy of a firebender! As much as she wanted to give in and cry until her body shriveled up and she was no more, she knew she had to stay strong. She could not cry in front of the prince. She swallowed back her feelings and let the facade of victory fall over her. She had won. Aang was safe. The prince had lost.

Katara raised her head and stood as straight as she could, which was rather difficult, considering she was still tied to the blasted tree. She watched as the captain of the pirates looked at the prince expectantly.

"I believe you have something of ours..."he prompted. The prince whipped around to glare at him, anger contorting his face. Steam quiet literally blew out of his nose.

"Ah," he said, smoothing his face, "Yes, the scroll. Well, seeing as how you did  _ not _ bring me what I wanted, our deal is void." With simple grace, the prince threw the scroll into the air. When the scroll reached its peak, the prince hurled a fireball at it. By the time the scroll reached the earth, it was in the form of ashes. The captain of the pirates slowly drew out his sword.

"You'll regret breaking a deal with us, boy." He growled. The prince laughed at the pirates, deepening their rage.

"I am Zuko, prince of the Fire Nation! Do you honestly think a group of rugged pirates can scare me?" The prince shouted at the pirates. He knew he had the advantage, every member of his crew (including himself and his uncle) was a firebender. The prince had noticed that the pirates were all non-benders. With a flick of his hand, the few members of his crew he had brought ashore smoothly slid into firebending stances, ready to attack. The pirates might be great swordsmen, but a piece of metal wouldn't protect them from flames.

Knowing he was on the loosing side, the captain of the pirates took a step back. He glared at the prince, shamed and humiliated. He was loosing to a child! The captain made a swift gesture at his crew and they began to retreat back to their ship. The prince smiled, victoriously.

Before climbing aboard his ship, the captain glanced between the prince and Katara, who was still tied to the tree. Without warning, the captain's arm shot out, releasing a throwing star towards Katara.

Katara's eyes widened as she watched the star come closer to her tree. At the last second, she squeezed her eyes closed, preparing herself for the impact.

THUMP!

Katara opened her eyes, surprised at the lack of pain. She quickly patted herself down, searching for an entry wound.

Her eyes widened again as she realized that she had just patted herself down...She quickly brought up her now free arms. There was still rope attached to her wrists, but the rope had been cut in half by the throwing star!

Determined not to waste a second more, Katara sprinted into the forest. Prince Zuko's curses echoed into the darkness.


	2. Fade to Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going back through this fic (I am literally copying from FF because I don't have the files saved anymore), I'm realizing that I was soo cringy. Most of the titles in this fic are puns, song names, or fandom references.

**Chapter 2**

**Fade To Black**

Katara's heart thudded as she raced through the forest. She dodged as many branches as she could, but some still managed to get her, cutting her skin like a whip. She could hear people behind her, chasing her. They crashed through the forest, their armor making it harder for them to dodge the debris and plants. Katara knew she had to get away, but she didn't know where to go.

Aang had abandoned her. Sokka, her own brother, had left her. She knew they couldn't have known about her capture, so why did they leave without her? Tears began to blur her vision, making it even harder to run through the dark forest. Desperately, she tried to blink them back, but they only began to spill over. Her breath became ragged as sobs broke through her chest.

Katara broke through the trees, running into the clearing that she had crept away from, just a few hours ago. She mad a beeline for the trees on the other side. She was less than twenty feet away from the trees when they burst into flame. Katara let out a scream and skidded to a halt. The flames engulfed the trees, reaching for her. Panicked, she ran in the opposite direction of them, only to come face to face with five Fire Nation soldiers. She dodged to the right and ran towards the only safety she knew, water. The tears continued to blur her vision, causing her to trip and fall into the awaiting pond. She came up, sputtering.

She leaped onto her feet and spun around, into a waterbending stance. The soldiers stood a few feet from the edge of the pond, ready to attack her. Katara's heart raced, she knew the odds were not in her favor, but she would go down fighting this time.

Katara brought a wobbly stream of water into the air and attempted to use the water whip technique. The water, much to her dismay, fell back into the stream with a splash. One of the soldiers laughed at her, and she could imagine why. She was a little girl standing, soaking wet, in a pond as tears poured down her face, and she could not even do a simple waterbending technique! Fury built up inside her, causing her eyes to flash. With one small exhale, she charged.

She knew she didn't have the slightest chance against five grown men, but she gave it her all. She ran head first into the gut of the man who laughed at her, sending him sprawling onto the ground, gasping for air. The other four moved into action right away. One man grabbed her around the waist and lifted her feet off the ground. He quickly let go as he fell, holding his privates as he groaned in pain.  _ He should have kept my feet on the ground,  _ Katara thought smugly as she tried to punch another soldier. He easily blocked her hands and got a firm grasp on her.

Katara grunted as she tried to kick at the man but another soldier grabbed that leg. The soldier who had been holding her arms let go as the other man gave a firm yank on Katara's leg. Katara yelped as the ground met her face. She watched, helplessly, as the boot of a soldier advanced towards her head. The felt a sharp pain and the world faded to black. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Coming To**

Katara groaned as her bed swayed slowly beneath her, she  _ hated _ sleeping on Appa. This was one of those rare occasions where she had actually managed to fall alseep, and she wanted to keep it that way. She squeezed her eyes shut and reached out to pull her blanket closer around her, only to not be able to find it. As much as she wanted the blanket, she wanted sleep more. It was surprisingly warm on Appa, so she decided she could make do without it. A musky sent filled her nose, but she was too tired to even bother trying to figure out where it came from. All she wanted was to curl up and rest her weary body. Appa slowly lurched to the right, causing Katara to roll over, ruining any chance she had of falling back asleep. Muttering angrily (but still keeping her eyes shut), she sat up and stretched. Katara gasped and opened her eyes as pain shot through her head as she moved. Her eyes widened as they registered the area around her.

She was sitting in the middle of a small, dark room. A chamber pot sat in one corner, and a small cot was welded to the wall on her right. In front of her, a door with a small, barred window stood. There was no handle on the door, much to Katara's dismay. Frightened, Katara attempted to stand so she could look out the window, only to fall back to the floor with a gasp of pain. Lights danced behind her eyes as red, hot pain filled her head. Slowly, she raised a hand to her forehead and gulped. There was a great big bump in the middle of it! Where had that come from? Where was she? What happened? Questions spun around in her head. Katara's breathing quickened as panic made her blood cold as ice.

_ Stop it, Katara! _ She scolded herself,  _ Just calm down! Breathe!  _ Katara took a deep breath, forcing herself to concentrate only on breathing. In...and out. In...and out.

A few minutes later, Katara was completely calm.  _ Okay, first question, what is the last thing you remember? _ Katara thought back. She had...sneaked away.. _ Away from what ? _ From...From...Aang! And Sokka! She had sneaked away from them in order to practice waterbending!  _ Why would you sneak away to do that? _ Because...because it wasn't just any waterbending, it was something bad. Bad...bad...Pirates! She sneaked away to practice the waterbending moves on the scroll she had stolen from the pirates! Then, she had seen the pirates through some bushes and went to warn Aang and Sokka! It all came back to her, the pirates, Zuko, Aang leaving her behind, everything up to the boot coming towards her face! She remembered!  _ I must have fainted when the soldier kicked me! That would explain the bruise and memory lose, but it doesn't explain where I am..,  _ fear engulfed Katara as her thoughts continued,  _...or does it? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I really wanted to torture y'all, I could put my original AN's at the bottom. Hoo boy. We're talking "My Immortal" level cringe on those, my friend.


	4. Dancing Footprints

**Chapter 4**

**Dancing Footprints**

"I don't see her, Aang." Sokka complained, looking at the earth below. They had been searching for Katara for hours. Momo gave a small  _ mrrr _ and folded his ears down.

"She's gotta be down there  _ somewhere _ , Sokka. We'll find her soon enough." Aang chirped, ever the optimist. Sokka sighed and hung limply over the side of the saddle. Leave it to Katara to get lost.

"You know, she probably went back to the camp by now...maybe we should head back and wait there for a few hours." Sokka suggested, impressed with his own logic.

"That's a great idea! Appa, let's go!" Aang said as he gave a sharp pull on the reins. Appa banked a hard right, causing Sokka to tumble over to the other side of the saddle.

"A little warning, please?" He cried out.

"Well...looks like she's not here, yet," Sokka said as he climbed off of Appa, "but I'm sure she'll show up soon. She can't be  _ that _ lost." He continued as he looked around the clearing.

"Um...Sokka?" Aang called from the other side of the massive flying bison, "You better come have a look at this!" With a sigh, Sokka walked around Aang, what he saw made him gasp. A line of trees had been burned down. The fire had been extinguished hours ago as no smoke remained. The fact that the fire had started and ended long before Sokka and Aang returned filled Sokka with a feeling of dread. Only firebenders could do such a thing!

"We need to find Katara. Now!" Sokka yelled, fully realising the intensity of the situation. There were firebenders somewhere in the forest, where Katara was presumably lost.

"Sokka, there's something else..."Aang said, sadness filling his voice. Sokka looked at the young boy, who was standing a few feet off and pointing at the ground. Aang looked as if he was about to cry. Sokka walked over to where the boy was standing. With each step he took, he wanted to run away more and more. He didn't want to know. He didn't want to know. Finally, Sokka looked at the ground where Aang pointed. There, no mistake, was Katara's footsteps. Sokka traced them as they went towards the burned trees, then skidded to a halt and moved in the opposite direction only to make a sharp right towards the pond. They came out of the pond and danced around with a lot of other footsteps. In the middle of all the steps, lay an imprint of what could only be Katara's body. Five footprints walked back into the forest.

"They took Katara. They took my sister. KATARA!" Sokka yelled into the forest, hoping that maybe she escaped the hands of the firebenders and was now waiting for him in the forest, "KATARA! COME BACK!" Tears threatened to break from Sokka's eyes, but he wiped them away, he was the older brother. He had to be strong for her.

Aang stared at the soft sand where Katara's body had made it's imprint. It was all his fault. If only he wasn't the Avatar, then none of this would have happened. Katara and Sokka would be safe in the Southern Watertribe right now and he would be...would be dead. Fate is cruel.

Sokka walked over to the young nomad and put his and on the boy's shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze.

"Come on, we have to find out where they took her." He said gravely. Aang nodded and walked slowly back to Appa, climbing aboard with a seriousness that did not fit a boy of his age. Being the Avatar caused one to grow up too fast.


	5. Everything is Going to Be Fine

**Chapter 5**

**Everything Is Going To Be Fine**

"Hey! Heellooo?! Anyone out there? I want some answers here! Hello?" Katara's voice was scratchy from what seemed to have been hours upon hours of yelling out. Since she had awoken, no one came down for her. She had no idea how long she had been down in that cell, there was no way to tell. The only light came from a steadily burning torch down the hallway. Katara was in a sour mood. The cell was too hot and her throat was parched. Her stomach growled, demanding food. Giving up, Katara walked over to her filthy little cot and sat down. Slowly, she pulled her legs up to her chest and put her head on her knees. Someone had to come soon; they wouldn't just leave her to die down there, would they?

Katara's brain led to darker thoughts.  _ Why did Aang and Sokka leave me? Maybe they went to find me...Do they know what happened to me? Are they worried? Where are they? Do they have enough to eat? Who will make sure they don't get into trouble?  _ Consumed in her thoughts, Katara did not hear the footsteps approaching.

"Water Tribe peasant!" A voice barked through the window in her door, causing Katara to jump up. She recognized that voice.  _ Zuko _ , she thought with distaste.

"What do you want?" She replied in a bored tone.

"The Avatar," The prince replied as he briskly unlocked the door. One of the two guards he had brought with him opened the cell door for him. He walked into the cell with an air of importance. His two guards blocked the doorway.

"Really? I thought you were chasing us just to get Momo." Katara replied sarcastically.

"Don't try my patience, peasant. Tell me where the avatar is." The prince looked down at the peasant. Even in the dim lighting, her eyes seemed to glow with an inner strength and her hair still shined. A big bruise accompanied by a cut marred her forehead. Her clothes were covered in dried mud and sand, yet she still managed to look prideful.

"Hmmm...I'm going to assume he's somewhere that isn't here." Katara said, thoughtfully. She knew that the prince had a temper, but she just loved torturing him. She rarely got the chance.

"Peasant..."Prince Zuko growled, a ball of fire appearing in his right hand. Katara's pulse quickened. She tried to hide her fear as best as she could, but her voice raised a little as she spoke.

"Look, I don't know where he is right now, in case you haven't noticed, I haven't seen him since...well...before you caught me the first time." Katara said, eyes never leaving the flames in the prince's hand. She could feel the heat from it; the cell was small, after all, it didn't take much fire to warm it. A sweat broke out on Katara's forehead. Unconsciously, she backed away an inch, which the prince noticed. A smirk pulled on his lips.

"If you don't know where he is now," The prince purred, letting the flames in his hand grow bigger, he almost enjoyed the fear in the girl's eyes, "Then perhaps you'll know where he's  _ going _ . You must have had some grand destination. You can't be flying around for no reason. He still has to learn three elements. Where were you going?"

Katara's eyes widened, she didn't bother holding back her fear anymore. The flames seemed to stretch towards her, hungry for her flesh. She began to shake, but only a little. She couldn't tell the prince that the Gaang had been planning on going to the Northern Water tribe, but those flames...Then, an idea struck her. She started to shake a little more (just so the prince could see it). She shrank back, away from the flames.

"I-I'll never tell you." She said in a weak voice. The prince smirked, sure he had her. He let the flames grow even bigger, Katara pressed herself against the wall behind her.

"Tell me, and I'll make the fire go away," Prince Zuko promised in a silky voice. Katara gave a sigh and looked down. She let her shoulders slump the tiniest bit.

"Only...only if you swear to stop firebending," She said feebly.

"I swear."

"We were going to go to the Earth Kingdom. Our friends from Kyoshi Island told us about a man who could teach Aang in secret." Katara whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek. She tried to look defeated, as if it cost her everything to tell the prince of their plans.

The prince smiled, extinguishing his flames, and walked out the cell without a word. The guards slammed the door shut and locked it. The trio quickly walked away, their steps left echoes. Katara relaxed her muscles and allowed herself a small victory smile. Aang and Sokka would be safe now.

"Psst," a voice whispered through the window, shocking Katara, "Water Tribe girl!" the voice called. Katara quickly obeyed, hoping it was some other prisoner who had escaped and was trying to help her out, too. Her heart sunk as she saw the head of the prince's uncle, Iroh.

"What do you want?" Katara said, she knew she should respect her elders, but she wasn't in the mood for manners at the moment. The old man smiled despite her disrespectful words.

"You are a very brave, young girl," Iroh started, "I just wanted to tell you, please do not fear my nephew, Prince Zuko may have a temper, but he would never hurt a defenseless girl. Please understand, he is a confused and lonely boy. I can not tell you the details, but Zuko has had a very hard life, and he is only eighteen." Katara looked away from the old man. She didn't believe him.  _ Zuko is royalty, there is no way he could have had a rough life _ . Iroh could tell the girl did not believe him, but he continued anyways.

"I know things seem bad, now, but do not loose hope. The forest will always get darker before it gets lighter. Things will turn out okay, I know it." Iroh's advice was met with silence. He sighed, no one ever listened to him. He started to walk away when a thought hit him.

"Before I leave, what is your name?" He asked. After a few seconds, Iroh figured that he would not get an answer. Walking away, he almost missed the whispered "Katara" that came from the cell, almost. A smile graced his kind face as he walked away. Yeah, everything was going to be fine.


	6. I'm on a Boat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wtf

**Chapter 6**

**I'm On A Boat**

CLANG! Katara jumped at the sound of her cell door bursting open. Without warning, five guards shot in and surrounded her. A sense of deja vu overtook her. Panicked, Katara moved into what she hoped was a fighting position. One of the guards chuckled. Katara's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She needed to learn hand to hand combat the next chance she got...

"Easy there, girly." The guard directly in front of her said, "We're on orders ta let ya have a bit of water ta drink. Only ta drink. Aren't ya thirsty?" The guard said. Katara gave a short nod of her head, never moving from her "fighting position" (which looked about as threatening as a newborn turtle-duck).

"You see," Said a different guard, "The only problem is that you are a  _ waterbender _ , so how do we know you won't try and escape using the water we give you?" A guard to her left guffawed.

"Please! This girl,"Katara recognized the voice as one of her attackers, "Could barely bend a raindrop!" The two guards who had so far kept silent, tried to stifle their laughs.

"What's yer point?" The first guard asked, "She's still a waterbender, ain't she? We're under strict orders, there will be no chances! Now, two of ya grab her arms. The other two get into position in case she tries anythin' funny." Katara winced as the two soldiers grabbed her wrists in a death grip. The man from the fight squeezed extra hard, perhaps in revenge for her kick to his jewels. The first guard (who seemed to be in charge) walked out of the room for a moment. An  _ incredibly _ awkward silence followed his departure. Luckily, Katara didn't have to suffer the silence too long as he quickly walked back in. He carried a decent sized clay cup between his hands. Though Katara couldn't see his eyes due to the stupid looking helmet all soldiers were required to wear, she could tell he was attempting to make eye contact.

"Now, I'm going ta bring this ta ya. You will drink what you need. If ya need a break from drinkin' ta get some air, tap yer foot twice. Got it?" He demanded. Katara gave a curt nod. Her pride twinged for letting herself be treated in such a way, but she was  _ so _ thirsty. She would rather be humiliated and alive than dead and prideful. The head guard slowly brought the cup to Katara's lips. Katara drank deeply. She loved the feeling of the cool water sliding down her throat, soothing it. She didn't even pause for air as she gulped down her natural element. All too soon, the cup was empty. The head guard slowly pulled it away and walked out the door. A few seconds later, he was back without the cup. He nodded at the four other guards. Katara winced as the two guards who had been holding her abruptly let go. She rubbed her sore wrists and watched as the four guards walked out the door, leaving her with the head guard. Katara could tell that he had his eyes locked with hers.

"Eventually, we won't have ta do that anymore, ya know." He said. It sounded almost as if he was trying to sooth her, but his words left a chill.

"Why not?" Katara demanded.

"Well, we'll be out in the middle of the ocean," He began, Katara realized that the rocking sensation she had woken up to was due to the fact that they were on a boat, "No point in you tryin' ta escape then. After all, you're a small girl who can barely waterbend, ya can't take on a whole ship of firebenders and then sail the ship back to land and we'll be too far away from land for even a waterbender to swim to." The guard explained. As his words sunk in, Katara sat heavily on her cot. Her eyes became glassy as she realized the seriousness of the situation. There was no escape for her. She would be trapped. On a boat. A boat full of firebenders.

The head guard waited for her to say something, but after a few seconds, he decided that no reply would come. He quietly withdrew from the room, closing and locking the cell door behind him. The footsteps of the five men quickly retreated down the hall. Some small part of Katara's mind must have realized that she was alone because as soon as she couldn't hear the steps of the men, she let her tears loose.

Katara slowly curled into a ball on her cot and sobbed quietly. She sobbed for her stealing the scroll, for getting mad at Aang because he was an exceptional learner, for sneaking away to practice, for getting caught, for getting abandoned, for being humiliated, and for being trapped on a boat with her worst fears. Tears poured down her face as she tried to quiet her sobs. The spot where her head was resting soon became wet with tears.  _ Wait, tears! Tears are made out of water! _ Hope sprang through Katara as she sat upright. She quickly wiped her cheeks, collecting the tears on her hands. Concentrating, Katara slowly pulled the water out of the spot where her head had been. With all the tears, Katara barely had a palm-full of water, but she was determined. Slowly, she moved the water in the air, trying to figure out what she would do with it. What could such a small amount of water do? Katara looked at her cell door, surely there was something she could do? An idea struck her,  _ I could saw through the hinges! Yeah! I should have just enough water to do that! _ She quickly moved towards the cell, she wold have to cut through the door fast; she didn't know when the next visitor would come. As she prepared to cut through the hinges, another thought popped into her head,  _ What will I do once I get out of here? I have no clue how to get onto the deck, and there are firebenders everywhere. _ Katara walked back to her cot as she realized that she would need a better plan. A much better plan.


	7. We Meet Again

**Chapter 7**

**We Meet Again**

Katara wasn't sure how long she had been in her cell. It had to have been a few days, at the least. The guards had stopped restraining her when they gave her water. Katara knew that meant that there was no way for her to escape. She would have to wait until the ship got close to the Earth Kingdom, where at least she would have a chance, albeit a small one. Until she had that chance, though, all she could do was wait. Katara felt as if she would go mad if she had to spend a moment more in her cramped, dark cell. There was absolutely  _ nothing _ to do.

Katara sat on her smelly cot, attempting to amuse herself by braiding and un-braiding her hair. By the time Katara undid a fairly complex braid, her fingers were sore. She let all of her hair flow around her, not even bothering to put her hair loopies back in. She slowly lowered her entire body onto the cot and stared at the ceiling, trying to make pictures out of the rust stains. Her thoughts were interrupted by a rather loud knock at the cell door.

"What do you want, now?" she called over.

"Th'prince wants ta see ya." Grunted the head guard, whom, Katara had found out, was named Po.

"Am I supposed to stand up and welcome him to my humble home?" Katara replied.

"No girly, he wants ya ta go ta him." Po said, annoyance clear in his voice.

"Why can't he come here?" Katara asked, trying to sound defiant even though the thought of leaving the cell filled her with excitement.

"Because he's th'prince and yer the prisoner. We go by his orders." Po grunted as he opened her cell door. Slowly, trying to appear bored, Katara got off her cot and walked over to the door. The four other guards quickly surrounded her. Katara sighed loudly at their presence.

"Is it really necessary for all of you to be so close? Ever hear of personal space? Because you are invading my bubble right now."

"No chances, girly." Po replied, without missing a beat. He lead the company down the hall, Katara loved the feeling of walking freely. At the end of the hall, a narrow staircase led upwards. The guards shifted so that Po and two others were walking in front of Katara while the last two guards were behind her.  _ Like I would try to escape and go back into my cell... _ Katara thought silently. When the group reached the top of the stairs, they took a left down another hallway. After a few more turns, Katara felt sufficiently lost. The ship seemed like a giant, metal maze.

"Are we there yet?"

"Almost, girly." Po chuckled. He led the group into yet another hallway. He walked up to the third door on the left and knocked three times.

"Enter." Came the reply from the other side. Katara cringed a little at his voice, but tried her best to look brave and defiant. Po opened the door and led the group inside. Once in the room, one of the guards roughly grabbed Katara's shoulder and pushed her in front of the group of guards, who now formed a line between her and the door. Katara took a deep breath and lifted her gaze to meet the eyes of the prince. They were still full of hate and anger, but a spark of hope seemed to have made it's way into his luminous eyes as well. Katara found it difficult to look at his scar, it reminded her too much of the damage he could easily inflict upon her. His hair (or what little hair he had) was tied up in his normal ponytail. He wore a long red robe, held together at his chest by a pin. Gray pants and a gray shirt poked out from underneath the obviously noble robe. He looked down at Katara and she realized just how bad she must look. She hadn't bathed or changed clothes since her capture. She must look like a rabbit-mouse compared to him. Nevertheless, she stood tall and met his eyes.

"What do you want,  _ your highness _ ?" Katara asked with uncharacteristic bitterness. Zuko pretended as if he didn't hear her and slowly walked around her, examining her.

"What are you, a tiger-bear? Stop circling me." Katara puffed out, annoyed at the treatment. Slowly, Zuko stopped circling her, and stood in front of her.

"I see cell-life is taking it's toll on you." He said.

"Oh yeah, I love it down there. Does wonders for my skin. Maybe, if I stay down there long enough, I'll become pale and pasty, just like you!" Katara said, laying the fake cheerfulness on thick. Zuko scowled at her.

"Yes, that would be quite an improvement." He replied. Now it was Katara's turn to scowl.

"So are you going to tell me why you brought me here, pretty boy, or are you just going to criticize the way I look?" Katara demanded, patience growing short.

"Watch your tongue, peasant." Zuko growled, "I give the orders here, I am the prince. You are the prisoner, understand?" He demanded. Katara refused to reply. After a few seconds, Zuko took a deep breath and put on his charismatic smile.

"I brought you here to make sure that you are leading us to the right place." He said. Katara's stomach dropped. She had a horrible feeling about what was about to happen.

"I already told you, our next stop was going to be the Earth Kingdom." Katara said.

"I just want to make sure you're telling the truth." Zuko said, taking a step towards Katara. He raised his right and slowly reached out towards her. Remembering the flames that hand had produced the last time she saw him, Katara stepped away from him.

"I told you the truth." She said, her voice starting to waver. Zuko took another step towards Katara. Katara took a step back, only to bump into on of the guards behind her. The guard put his hand on Katara's shoulder, holding her in place. Zuko's hand came closer and closer to her face. She broke out in a cold sweat.

"I just need some...reassurance." Zuko said as he gently brushed her cheek with his hand. He carefully grabbed a few strands of Katara's still free-flowing hair between his fingers. He slid his hand down to the ends of the hair.

"You know, you do have beautiful hair, even I must admit it. Wouldn't it be such a shame if some of it burned?" He asked, Katara could feel the heat begin to radiate off of his hand.

"No!" She yelled as she slapped his incredibly warm hand away from her hair. Katara was panting now, terrified.

"You dare slap my hand, peasant?" Zuko demanded, raising his hand and creating a fireball. He brought it less than a foot away from Katara's face. Katara squirmed and struggled, trying to push against the guard behind her just so she could get away. Zuko brought the fire an inch closer. Katara was sweating by now. Her heart pushed against her chest, trying to break free.

"ZUKO, STOP!" A voice commanded. Immediately, the flames in Zuko's hand dispersed. He groaned as he looked around for the source of the voice. He took a step away from the water tribe girl as he saw his uncle walk through the door and towards him. Iroh was obviously angry.

"Have you gone insane, Nephew? You're torturing a girl! How dare you?" Iroh demanded, stepping between Katara and Zuko. Katara sank to the floor and shuddered. She tried to regain control of her breathing as the two men argued.

"I need the avatar, Uncle. I needed to make sure that she wasn't lying." Zuko defended himself.

"So you torture her? Have I not taught you better?"

"This isn't the time for chivalry, Uncle! I will do whatever it takes to capture the avatar and restore my honor!"

"You will be consumed by this obsession! You need to relax, nephew," Iroh switched to a much gentler tone, "I will take care of the girl, you should meditate." Without waiting for a reply, Iroh gestured to the men to take Katara out of the room. One of the guards had to actually pick her up and carry her out. Iroh closed the door behind them. Iroh led the group down the hall, to another door. He unlocked it and had the guard deposit Katara on the bed inside the room. Katara, still recovering, didn't even notice the change in her environment. On some subconscious level, her brain must have realized that she was safe, because after a while, she fell asleep.


	8. Bored....Again

**Chapter 8**

**Bored...Again**

Katara stretched lazily in her bed before pulling the sheets even closer around her shoulders and snuggling into the pillows. She sighed happily, not even bothering to open her eyes. She rarely got to sleep in a bed anymore because of her traveling with the Gaang; she was going to savor every moment in the bed.

After a few more minutes, Katara regrettably decided it was time to get up. She would have to help Sokka and Aang pack everything onto Appa.  _ Can't we stay in one place for more than a night? At least once? _ She thought tiredly as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Slowly, she rubbed the sleep away from her eyes. She stretched once more, pushing her arms as far up as she could reach. She froze halfway through the stretch, eyes widening. She stared at the wall in front of her. Her heart felt as if it had dropped into her stomach. There, directly in front of her, was a Fire Nation flag.

"I see you are awake, young waterbender." A voice said from behind her. Katara jumped and spun around quickly. Sitting in a corner of the room was General Iroh. He sipped from a steaming cup of tea, his kind eyes fixed on her.

"Where am I?" Katara asked, completely confused, finally remembering the past few days. The last thing she could remember was Zuko threatening her with firebending. She could still feel the heat of the flames; she shuddered at the sensory recall.

"Still on the ship, I'm afraid. I would like to apologize for my nephew's actions. I do not believe he truly meant to harm you, but his actions were still unacceptable. I hope your new room will show my sincere apology."Iroh explained, even going so far as to bow slightly in the process. Katara stared at him. Even though he was old, he was still one of the most respected and powerful generals in history. Katara had heard stories of how he had defeated the last two dragons.

Even with the honor of having General Iroh apologize and bow to her, Katara could not find it in her to forgive the prince. He was the very root of evil. His actions terrified her and his scar only added to his fearsome character.

"It's not your fault. He is responsible for his own actions." Katara mumbled, not wanting to offend the kind old man. To her surprise, he smiled at her reply.

"He is still young, he will learn. He just has to find the right path." Iroh said, "Unfortunatly, this room is the only luxury I am able to give you. For the safety of the crew and yourself, I must regrettably inform you that you are forbidden to leave the room unless summoned. At least you are no longer in those horrible cells." Iroh said as he headed for the door. He gave two solid knocks and someone from the outside opened the door for him. With one last smile, Iroh left Katara in her new prison.

Katara looked around. Compared to her cell, this room was a palace! She had a small, but nice bed with sheets, pillows, and blankets! In the corner where Iroh had been sitting, was a simple wooden chair and little table. The only other thing in the room was the retched Fire Nation flag. That would not do. Angrily, Katara marched over to the wall and ripped the flag down. She threw it on the ground and then proceeded to kick it roughly under her bed. As grateful as she was for the room, she would not have her enemy's flag staring her down all day; it was bad enough that she was a prisoner of the enemy. With a huff, Katara fell back onto her bed. The room was nice and all, but it did nothing to cease her boredom.

After what seemed like hours (though it could have easily been only a few minutes), the door to her room opened. A guard stood in the frame with a tray of food in hand. Katara stared at him. Unlike all of the other guards she had seen since her capture, this one was not wearing a helmet. He looked to be as old as her father, lines around his mouth and upon his forehead gave away his age. He had no facial hair, which was strange for someone from the fire nation. His eyes were the usual amber and his hair was a very dark brown, though not quite black.

"This is an upgrade from yer last place, eh girly?" The man asked in a voice Katara knew.

"Po?" She asked. The guard looked up at her quickly; Katara realized that she had never actually called him by name before.

"Sorry, I overheard one of the other guards calling you that..."She mumbled. Po replied with a grunt. He walked over to her little table and put the tray down. He quickly walked back to the door, but he didn't knock on it or try to open it. Instead, he stood and stared at her. Confused, Katara stared right back. Po sighed heavily.

"Th'prince demands that ye be watched while ye eat. Since there's no windows in th'room, I have to stay here." He said. Katara could tell that he thought the order was a pain. Quickly (so that Po wouldn't have to spend too much time with her), Katara ate her breakfast. While it wasn't exactly great, it was better than all the other food she had received during her imprisonment. Once Katara finished the food, she grabbed the cup of water. She drank slowly, savoring the feeling of cool water running down her throat. She felt naked without her natural element surrounding her, so the water helped her maintain her sanity. After she had the very last drop of water, she picked up the tray and walked over to Po. He knocked on the door twice before taking the tray and stepping through the now open doorway. Katara watched as the door closed behind him, sealing her off. Bored, she walked back over to her chair and sat down heavily. Her mind wandered. She wondered where Aang and Sokka were.  _ Are they safe? Do they miss me? Are they looking for me, or are they heading for the Northern Water Tribe?  _ Katara sighed, she hated not knowing things like that. Katara nervously ran her hand through her hair. She winced as she felt the tangles, dirt, and grease in it. She hadn't had a bath in days, she felt disgusting. She needed to wash, but she knew the chances of that happening anytime soon were extremely slim. Katara groaned, was she doomed to forever live in filth?  _ Ew,  _ Zuko _ touched my hair, now I'll have to chop it off.  _ Katara tried to joke with herself. She had to admit, she was surprised that the prince had touched her hair, what with it being absolutely filthy.  _ He even called it beautiful, what a joke! He was probably mentally laughing the whole time. Jerk-bender. _


	9. Bang Bang! On the Door, Baby!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No. Not the fun kind of banging.

**Chapter 9**

**Bang Bang, On the Door, Baby!**

A few days passed, and Katara felt as if she would die of ennui. The prince had not summoned her, Iroh had not visited her, and her only interaction was with the guard who brought her food (Usually Po). The only time she ever left her prison was to go to the bathroom twice a day. As nice as her room was, she couldn't stand one more hour in it. She had absolutely nothing to do and she felt as though she would soon go insane. She was tired of pacing, tired of playing with her filthy hair, tired of lying around, and tired of her stupid, small room. For the past few hours, anger at her constant boredom had brewed in her until she felt she would explode if she didn't do  _ something _ . With a deep breath, she stomped over to the door and banged as hard as she could three times. She waited for someone to reply. Nothing. Katara could feel her face turn red with anger. She banged on the door again, as loud as she could. She refused to stop until she got some sort of response.

"HEY! SOMEONE OPEN THIS DOOR!" She yelled, continuing to hit the metal door. She knew that she would regret it later, when the bruises formed. Katara continued to yell and scream until finally, when she was just about ready to give up, someone on the other side slammed his or her hand onto the door in reply. Katara jumped back a foot, surprised at the sound. Two seconds later, the door whipped open, revealing an incredibly annoyed looking guard.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" He yelled, his face bright red. Katara crossed her arms and huffed.

"Something to do!" She yelled,"A game or a book to read! Something to keep me from going as crazy as your prince! Oh! And you know what would be fabulous? A bath! Seriously, are you guys  _ trying  _ to make me smell like rotten meat? I feel gross! I may be a prisoner, but come on! I'm still a girl, doesn't that count for  _ anything? _ "She fumed. Happy to rant everything out.

"You are a prisoner! Be happy that you are in a room instead of the cell! Now stop making so much noise!" The guard replied, promptly slamming the door shut.

"W-What? Did you just slam the door in my face? How dare you!" Katara yelled, going back to the door so she could hit it some more, "Hey! Open up, again! I'm not done talking! Do you hear me? I swear, you better open this door or else...or else...or else I'll keep making noise! Do you hear me? I'll annoy you to death! Trust me, I'm good at talking, a lot!" Katara ranted, continuing to bang on the door.

"Shut up!" The guard on the other side yelled.

"Not until you open this door again, buster!" Katara replied. Her hands were starting to really hurt.  _ Why do they have to make these stupid doors out of metal? Ugh. _ She thought to herself as her skin began to split, leaving small blood splatters wherever she hit the door. Katara didn't care; she could deal with a little pain if it helped to keep insanity at bay.

Katara was caught completely off guard when the door opened, sending her flying on her back onto the floor. She groaned as she pushed herself into a sitting position, smearing blood on the dark floor.

"What do you think you're doing?" A new voice demanded. Katara whipped her head toward the door where the voice came from and silently groaned. The one and only Prince Zuko stared down at her, nostrils flared in anger. His eyes burned with annoyance and Katara could swear she saw steam coming from his nose. As much as she wanted to shrink away from him, Katara took a deep breath and stood up, staring Zuko in the eyes the entire time. She wiped her bloody hands on the back of her water tribe clothing.

"I want a bath. I want something to do. I'm going insane." She stated, trying her best to sound demanding. The temperature in the room seemed to rise a fraction as Zuko took in her woods.

"You. Are. My. Prisoner, peasant. You have no right to ask for  _ anything. _ Be grateful my uncle has provided this  _ lavish _ room for you." He hissed. Katara's eyes sparked in fury, looking every bit like a stormy ocean.

" _ You _ had no right to KIDNAP _ me! _ " Katara screamed at him, letting out all of her anger. Anger for chasing the Gaang around the world, for all the worry he had caused her, for all the fighting, for rough-handling her grandmother, for being a firebender, and for kidnapping her just so he could get Aang for the sake of his stupid honor. Zuko's eyes widened at her fury. His face quickly changed from one of shock to one of pure rage. He stomped towards the water tribe girl and grabbed the collar of her dress. Katara's hands quickly grabbed his, trying to pry them off.

"You. Are. My. Prisoner." Zuko hissed, softly. A chill went down Katara's spine. She would have preferred it if he screamed at her as she had at him. She pushed at his hands with her own injured ones.

"Let me go!" She demanded in a high pitch.

"You will  _ not _ tell me what to do." Zuko replied, continuing to hold onto the girl just to spite her. He felt her push at his hands with what he assumed to be her own sweaty hands.

Katara squirmed, trying to get away from the angered prince. In her desperation, she began to claw at his hands with her nails. Zuko gave a grunt of pain and pushed her away. Katara fell onto the floor again. Zuko looked down at his hands and his eyes widened as he took in all the blood. He knew the girl had not scratched him  _ nearly _ enough to produce that much blood in such a short time. He looked over to Katara, who was rubbing the back of her head with a bloody hand.

Katara saw the prince look at her hands and quickly rubbed off as much blood as she could onto her dress. She refused to look at him as she slowly stood up. She then berated herself. She should not be ashamed;  _ she _ had not kept anyone prisoner. She raised her blue eyes to look directly into Zuko's face with defiance. An idea struck her.

"You still need me, you know.," She began, "I told you that Aang was going to  _ a  _ city in the Earth Kingdom, but I did not, however, tell you  _ which  _ city." Katara watched as Zuko looked away from her hands and into her eyes. She had it a point.

"Look, all I want is a bath, and maybe some books or games or  _ something _ to keep me from going completely crazy. You give me that, and as soon as we hit the shore of the Earth Kingdom, I'll tell you which city exactly. You don't have a chance of finding it if I don't tell you, you and I both know the Earth Kingdom is huge." She stated. Zuko sputtered.

"Do you honestly thi-"

"I think that is a fair deal, nephew." Iroh interrupted. Zuko spun around to find him at the doorway.

"Uncle! She is a prisoner! She can't demand for anything!"

"So you would rather scour the entire Earth Kingdom to find the Avatar? Or is it that you would rather torture a defenseless girl in order to get what you want? Do not turn into your father!" Iroh scolded. Much to Katara's amazement, Zuko looked down in shame. Iroh continued, "This is easier for everyone, dear nephew. Remember, a tree who fights the wind, will surely fall where as a blade of grass that bends to the wind, will never break." Zuko sighed and looked back to Katara.

"Fine. You may have your bath,  _ under surveillance _ -"

"But-" Katara tried to object, but Zuko continued.

"No buts, do you think I am stupid enough to leave you in a tub of water by yourself? Even if you are a poor excuse of a waterbender, it's still too risky. I will let Uncle figure out what to do about your boredom." Zuko finished, exhausted. He took a step toward Katara and before she could even register his movement, he had her wrists in her hands. Katara was reminded of the night where she had run into him on the beach, the night of her capture. She tried to shake Zuko off, but he only tightened his grip.

"What did you do?" He demanded.

"Why do you care?" Katara asked, shocked at what appeared to be a display of concern.

"Tell me why they are bleeding." Zuko said, giving Katara's hands a little shake for emphasis. Katara winced, the movement had caused her pain.

"It was from banging on the door." She mumbled. Satisfied that he had received an answer, he threw her hands down and away from him.

"See to it that her wounds are tended to." Zuko ordered one of his guards, earning a smile from Iroh, "And get a team of female guards to give her a bath. And Uncle, see to her boredom."

"With pleasure." Iroh responded, he needed a new Pai sho partner. With a loud sigh, Zuko left the cell. His guards scrambled to complete their assigned orders.


	10. Somewhat Unnatural

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I remember naming this... I meant for it to be "sommat", like they use in old fantasy books. ugh.

**Chapter 10**

**Somewhat Unnatural**

Katara sighed as she sunk into the hot water of the bath. The water caressed her skin, welcoming her. Her hands had been healed and felt no pain. She was at peace. She was so happy, she barely even cared that there were three female guards watching her as she bathed, nor did she much mind the fact that her wrists were shackled. Katara wanted to lie there for as long as possible, but she knew she couldn't. With one last sigh, she sat up and grabbed a bar of soap. It smelled of white tea, most likely Iroh's choice of soap. Katara scrubbed her skin with the soap until it was red. She then took a deep breath and sunk beneath the surface of the water. She rubbed her hair with her hands, working her fingers into the tangles and releasing the dirt and oil. Katara knew better than to use the soap to clean her hair. She had tried it once, when she was a young child, and it had caused her hair to become dry and brittle. After a few minutes, Katara broke the surface for a huge gasp of air (as a waterbender, she could hold her breath for an unusually long time).

"Don't do that again. We don't want to have to take care of your body if you drown." One of the guards said. Katara rolled her eyes. If she had more training, she could take out the guards with a flick of her wrist.  _ If only _ . She thought silently.

Katara stayed in the bath until the water turned cold, even then, she only got out due to the urging of the guards. Katara gently patted her skin dry while she looked around for her clothes. Her heartbeat quickened when she couldn't find them. Was she supposed to go back to her room _naked?_ _No. No way. No way in hell would that_ ** _ever_** _happen._

Furious, Katara turned towards her guards. She didn't care if she was a prisoner, she would let them know what's what.

"Where are my- oh." Katara stopped herself as one of the guards handed a bundle of red to her. Slowly, she lifted the fabrics apart to reveal what appeared to be clothing. It was a two piece set; Katara put the red cloth on (it took some time thanks to her shackles), only to blush in embarrassment at the scandalous amounts of skin the outfit showed. The top barely reached above her belly button and it left her right shoulder bare. The bottoms consisted of a skirt-like outer layer and pants underneath. The bottoms at lease went down to her mid calf...but she would definitely have something to say about the top. She was not some fire nation floozy.

"Where are my clothes? I want my old clothes back. And my necklace." Katara demanded, crossing her arms over the exposed flesh of her belly.

"Calm yourself, girly. They're just gettin' washed. Ya were filthy,  _ remember _ ?" One of the guards sneered as the other two grabbed Katara's upper arms. The guards quickly marched her out of the bath chamber. Once they were out of there, the guards took the shackles off of Katara before continuing on. About halfway down one of the cold, metal hallways, Katara stopped.

"I want to speak with Zuko." She demanded, questioning her own sanity.

"That's  _ Prince _ Zuko, to you, girly." The talkative guard replied, giving Katara a little shove. Katara stood her ground.

"I want to speak with  _ Prince _ Zuko, immediately."

"And why would we let you do that?"

"Because the success of this journey may depend on it. I just remembered an important detail that must be brought to light as soon as possible." The lie flowed like water off of Katara's tongue. She watched as the guards glanced nervously at each other. The talkative guard quietly whispered into the ear of another guard. After a few exchanged words, one of the guards gave a curt nod. She looked at Katara.

"Alright. But it better be important." She grumbled. Katara did a mental victory dance as the group made their way down the hall. At the end of the hall, the guards took a sharp left then a sharp, another left, then a right up a set of stairs. Light poured down the steps, momentarily blinding Katara. She raised her hands to protect herself from the harsh glare of the sun. Katara looked out before her. The big, metal deck was full of soldiers. Many of whom, much to Katara's displeasure, were practicing firebending. Katara could see Zuko and Iroh standing at the bow of the ship, their heads close in discussion.

Katara's guards gave her a little shove to get her going towards the prince. Katara took a deep breath of the fresh, salty, fantastic air and held her chin up as she walked. She tried not to notice the jokes and glances aimed at her, but it was difficult. Many of the men commented on her body and called her names that would make any  _ decent _ man blush.

"Prince Zuko,"The prince stiffened as one of the guards called him, "the prisoner has requested an audience with you. She claims that it is important information regarding the search for the Avatar." The guard finished as the three of them bowed, forcing Katara to do so as well. As Katara raised from her forced bow, she locked eyes with the prince, trying to force as much hate into her glare as she could.

"You three are dismissed." The prince said to the three guards. The talkative one looked up at Zuko with uncertainty. When they hesitated to leave, Zuko glared and hissed, "I  _ said _ you. Are. Dismissed. Now leave us." The guards retreated with haste, throwing annoyed glances back at the prince.

Katara waited as Zuko looked her up and down, as if she were an animal he was considering purchasing. She couldn't help but notice that the prince's eyes lingered on her exposed skin for a second too long. She glared furiously as a slight blush spread on her cheeks.

"You do clean up well." Zuko muttered, it was almost too quiet for Katara to hear, so she ignored it. It was probably another attempt to mock her.

"What can we do for you, Katara?" Zuko's kind uncle asked her. Katara looked at him, remembering the whole reason she had come to see them.

"I want my necklace back." Katara demanded, keeping her head held high.

"You're necklace? What does that have to do with the capture of the Avatar?" Zuko demanded, anger sparking in his amber eyes.

"It has to do with my  _ cooperation." _ Katara said slowly, as if Zuko was some sort of town idiot.

"Do you seriously think you have  _ any _ right to demand anything of me right now? You just received a bath! I let you, a  _ waterbender _ , take a bath! In water! I have been more than generous and now you want more? You. Are. A. Prisoner! You should be on your knees thanking me for the luxuries I've given you! You, a water tribe prisoner!" Zuko yelled, enraged. Steam literally came out of his nose. Even the sun seemed scared of Zuko as it hid behind a dark cloud. Katara's face turned bright red and she took a huge breath.

"EXACTLY! I'm a prisoner!  _ You  _ have no right to keep me here! This is kidnapping! You should be treating me like a princess for all the wrongs you've done me! You chased me and my friends around the world, you threatened Gran-Gran and you are using me to capture my friend and my brother! If you think I'm going to thank you for  _ anything _ , you've got another thought coming! I want my necklace! You have no right to take it from me; it's the only thing I have of my mothers. It bears no significance to you!" Katara yelled. The deck was silent as the whole crew stared at the water tribe girl. The sun was now completely hidden and black clouds covered the sky. A cold wind blew across the deck, but no one noticed. Katara could swear that fire was literally coming out of his eyes.  _ Can firebenders do that? _

_ " _ You stupid, ugly, annoying peasant! What do you-" Zuko stopped mid-sentance as Iroh clamped a surprisingly strong hand on his shoulder.

"Prince Zuko, you should really watch your anger. Let us think this through logically. Unfortunately, Katara is right. It is wrong to take people prisoner, nephew. But if you refuse to see that, then perhaps we could make another deal. Screaming like cat-monkeys helps no one." Iroh smiled kindly at his nephew.

"Fine, uncle."Zuko turned to Katara, seemingly calm, "Since this," Zuko pulled out the necklace, "Is so  _ very _ important to you, I suppose you should have it back," Katara reached out towards the necklace, only to have Zuko pull it out of reach, "When you find us the avatar." Zuko sneered at her.

"I want it. Now. You already have  _ me _ imprisoned, what use could you possibly have for a necklace?" Katara said, trying to keep herself from whining. Zuko smirked and shivers went down Katara's spine.

"You're right, what use could I have for an ugly necklace such as this?" As he spoke, Zuko held the necklace up in the air. Looking into Katara's eyes, he slowly lowered his empty hand and placed it beneath the necklace. Katara broke out in a cold sweat as she watched him produce a tiny flame. The flame seemed to leap towards the necklace, anxious to feed it's insatiable hunger.

"Don't. You. Dare. You monster!" Katara hissed quietly. She felt the ocean's roar in her veins. She felt possessed as she raised her arms, bringing an enormous amount of water up into the air.

"Give. Me. My. Necklace." She threatened. The water slowly crept closer to Zuko.

"Release the water, now." Zuko demanded, bringing the fire closer to the necklace.

"If even a bit of smoke touches that necklace, I will end you." Katara said, her feat sliding into a waterbending stance. Fear flickered through Zuko's eyes; it was only a fraction of a second, but Katara saw it. They stared into each others eyes, both daring the other to make a move.

"MONSTER WAVE!" The staring contest was interrupted by the yell of a soldier. Both Katara and Zuko let go of their elements. Zuko's fire died out and Katara's water fell back into the now restless ocean with a loud "Splash"! The two looked out at the sea only to find that a storm had descended upon them. There was no rain, but the ocean bucked and reared like a wild thing. The thing that stood out the most was the huge wave coming straight towards the ship. There was somewhat unnatural about it as it began to break. The crew scrambled, running for the cover below deck. Iroh moved with surprising speed as he helped the crew down, Katara and Zuko soon found themselves to be the furthest from the doorway that led below deck. With a quick glare at each other, they started sprinting. Luckily, the deck was still dry so they didn't need to worry about slipping and falling. Zuko took long, practiced strides while Katara tried to keep up. Much to Katara's surprise, Zuko grabbed her arm and tried to make her run faster. Mist poured on them as the wave descended. The door was only a few more feet away! Katara put every bit of energy she had into moving her legs. Relief filled her as she saw Zuko grab onto the doorway, they were going to make it! Katara took one more step before her legs were swept out from under her. The wave pounded against her as it dragged both her and Zuko across the deck and into the ocean. At one point, Zuko's hand was ripp.ed away from Katara's arm. The force of the water knocked the breath out of Katara and water poured into her lungs. Katara was pushed and pulled by the water like a rag doll. She couldn't tell which way was up and she needed  _ air.  _ Darkness crept around her vision as she struggled to go towards what she hoped was the surface. Katara didn't know if she even moved an inch by the time the darkness took over.  _ I don't want to die. _ Was the last thing she thought as her mind succumbed to the dark


	11. Sound of Fury

**Chapter 11**

**Sound Of Fury**

The sound of the ocean caressed Katara's ears. She felt the current pushing and pulling the water in sync with her breathing. Her fingers dug into the sun warmed sand and she inhaled the lovely scent of saltwater. She could feel the sun warming the skin of her back and arms.  _ I must have fallen asleep in my bindings, I'm surprised Aang or Sokka haven't woken me yet. _ She thought lazily as she rolled onto her back. Without opening her eyes, Katara spread her arms out, palms up and tilted her face towards the heat of the sun. While she was homesick for the Southern Water Tribe and it's year-long winter weather, she had to admit, it was nice to soak in the sun with only her bindings on. She smiled as she felt her palms absorb the sunlight. It was perfect. For the moment, Katara could imagine the world was at peace. There was no war, only sunshine, sand, and the ocean. Nothing else mattered.

Katara sighed as she heard feet aproaching her. A shadow fell across her face, blocking out the warmth of the sun.

"Can't I have five more minutes, please, Sokka?" Katara said, trying not to sound too whiny. When Sokka didn't respond, Katara opened her eyes to glare at him, only to scream at the face above her. Instead of her brother, Zuko stood over her. Anger poured from his body like venom and all the warmth drained from Katara's body as the events from before she passed out flooded her brain. She scrambled to her feet and took a few steps away from the enraged prince. She took a quick look around. The beach she was on was rather small, Less than 200 feet long and near stretched about fifty feet from the ocean to a line of dense trees. No one was in sight. A look out to sea proved that no ships were nearby to rescue them.

"Where are we?" She yelled at him.

"How should I know? You're the waterbender, you should be able to tell where you made the wave take us!" He yelled back, advancing a few steps as flames grew from his palms.

"What are you talking about?" Katara demanded, completely confused.

"I'm talking about how you used your waterbending to make that wave! Was it so bad on my ship that you had to risk the lives of me and my entire crew?" He yelled, his face turning bright red. The flames in his hands grew larger in size.

_ He thinks I summoned that huge wave! _ Katara realized with fear.  _ He thinks  _ I _ brought us here!  _ She took a few more steps back, sure that Zuko intended on using those flames on her.

"It wasn't me! I couldn't make a wave that big! I don't think a waterbending master could even conjure a wave such as that!" Katara yelled in defense (though she didn't really know the limits of a waterbending master).

"You expect me to believe that, you filthy peasant?" Zuko said. Katara could tell that no matter what she said, Zuko would see things the way he wanted to see them. Drawing on her strength, Katara felt for the power of the ocean behind her. Without warning, she pulled a large stream of water out of the ocean and bombarded Zuko with it. Katara was already disappearing into the line of trees by the time Zuko had recovered from the onslaught of water. Zuko's yell of fury followed her as she raced deeper and deeper into the strange forest.


	12. Inhale.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was named after a Prodigy song. I'm reposting this chapter today, 3/4/19. And it just so happened that one of the members of the Prodigy, Keith Flint, died either today or yesterday. RIP, man. I'm sorry you had to go so soon.

**Chapter 12**

**Inhale**

Zuko screamed out his fury as the little waterbending peasant flew into the darkness of the forest. He sunk to his knees and pounded his fists into the sand. He was lost, abandoned on some strange island. There wasn't a soul to be found nor a ship to be seen. He wasn't entirely sure how long he had been on the island, he had woken up only a few minutes before the filthy peasant. He had woken up slowly at first, thinking he was still asleep on his ship. Once he realized that he was lying on sand, he had snapped awake. After looking around quickly and realizing that he had absolutely no clue where he was, he saw the peasant lying down on the sand further down the shore. Zuko knew the girl had little control over her waterbending, which was very dangerous. He remembered her being furious with him while they spoke on the deck of the ship. A bender with little control over his or her bending could have easily accidental summoned a great wave such as the one that had swept them out into the sea. Zuko walked towards the girl as she rolled onto her back. As he got closer to her, he could see a smile spread across her face. That smile was what fully convinced him that this was her doing. In an attempt to escape the ship, she had risked the lives of Zuko, Uncle Iroh, and every other member aboard his ship. Now that she was free, she was happy. She was happy even though her happiness meant Zuko's despair. If he couldn't find a way back to his ship, he might never be able to find the avatar and restore his honor. He could never go home. He could never face his father.

With every step Zuko took, his rage built inside him. The rage threatened to burn through his skin. Then, he would truly look like a monster. He stood over the girl, ready to give her a scar similar to his. He had hesitated, knowing it was cowardly to attack a person without warning. So he had waited. Waited for her to wake up. What a mistake.

Now he cursed his own stupidity. He should have struck while she had been lying down. He should have melted that stupid grin off her stupid face. Now she was gone and he was alone with his anger. He had no food nor any weapons. He had no fresh water to drink. He needed to find shelter. With one big sigh, Zuko slowly stood up. He wiped the sand off of his body and clothes. He was a prince and not just any prince, he was Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. He would be dignified, even if there was no one to witness it.

Zuko entered the forest.

Katara collapsed onto a nearby tree. She had run until she could no longer stand. She had no idea how far or how long it had been, all she knew was that there was at least some distance between her and the prince, and that was enough. Gasping for air, she looked around at her surroundings. She seemed to be in a forest. Trees went in every direction, giving the forest a dark and sinister feel to it. Her eyes flicked around, looking for any sort of land mark. All she could see was trees. Wait, there! Behind a particularly large tree who's trunk seemed to split into three trees, was a cave. Groaning, Katara pushed herself up into a standing position. Using the trees as support, she slowly stumbled over to the little opening in a rock. It wasn't much, just two large rocks that met at the top. There was barely enough space for Katara to stand in, but three people could easily lie side by side on the floor. The cave seemed to go back a good fifteen feet. Too tired to check for creatures that might already be occupying the cave, Katara collapsed onto the floor and simply fell asleep.

After some time, Katara finally woke up. She wasn't sure if she had napped for hours or minutes, but she felt recharged. Not completely, but close enough. She stretched into a sitting position. Blinking slowly, Katara crawled slowly out of her little cave. The woods surrounding her lodging looked indistinguishable. She had no clue which direction she had come before she passed out. She didn't know where the shore was and even worse, she had no clue where that bastard Zuko was.

Panic hit her as her eyes scanned the woods, searching for a hint of the angry prince. Surely he still blamed her for this tragedy. Katara felt like an animal. She wasn't sure whether or not she should leave her little cave in search for help or stay and have less of a chance of running into the prince. Which way would she go if she were to search for help? She had no clue which direction the beach was nor did she have any idea where Zuko might be lurking. What if she couldn't find help? Would she be able to find her way back to the cave? But she couldn't stay in the cave forever. She needed food and water.

Stressed, Katara took a step out of her little hide-away. Aside from the tree beside the cave, there was no distinguishable feature that would help her to find her way.

Katara sighed heavily. She knew that even if she were to somehow find some food, it would be worthless if she couldn't find water soon. She slid into a meditation pose and closed her eyes. With a deep breath, she sent out her bending, feeling for a body of water. With each breath, she let her bending reach out further and further until she finally felt the rhythmic breathing of a stream. With a happy sigh, Katara stood up and took a step out of her little cave. Luckily, she had felt that the stream was relatively nearby, only about thirty feet to the right of her cave.

She quickly set out, happy that she had at least covered one of her essentials.


	13. Silence Will Fall

**Chapter 13:**

**Silence Will Fall**

A twig snapped under Katara's foot, causing her to freeze. Her eyes darted around, looking for Zuko. She hadn't seen him since she ran away two days before. Yesterday she had been content with finding water and staying in her little cave, but today she woke up with the need to explore her surroundings. She needed to find a village or something! Anyone who could help her! Not to mention, she was _ ravenous. _ During the time she had been...wherever she was, she had not had anything to eat and it was starting to get to her. She knew that it took a few weeks to die of starvation, but she needed the energy in case she ran into a certain prince.

In all honesty, she highly doubted she would see him again anytime soon or that he would still be so angry but it never hurt to be careful. His enraged face flashed in Katara's mind and she physically winced. _ Such a terrifying face...and that scar doesn't help... _ She thought silently, rubbing the goosebumps out of her arms. His face had terrified her. It seemed as if he had truly intended to kill her on the beach. How could he possible believe that this was  _ her  _ doing? She had almost died!

With a mental shake, Katara came back to the present. She resumed her walk. She had no idea which direction she was going or where she would end up, but it was worth a shot. She had been walking for quite a few hours and was beginning to feel fatigued as her stomach complained loudly. Katara had seen a few animals during her walk so she knew that if worst came to worst, she would find some way to hunt. In her mind she saw Aang's disapproving face.  _ Sorry Aang, but I can't survive on sticks, you know. _ She thought at him. Her thoughts then became clouded with Aang and Sokka. Where were they? Were they eating enough? Sleeping enough? Would Sokka be able to mend his own clothes? Katara couldn't help but giggle at the thought of Sokka walking around with giant holes in his pants.

Her laughter soon died into a sigh. She  _ really _ missed those two. She didn't like the feeling of being completely alone, it was foreign. Ever since she was a baby, she was in the company of loved ones. Even when her mother passed away and her father went off to war, she still had Sokka with her. Bicker as they might, she would take a blade for that boy. He always helped her, even if he was mad at her. They were never really apart from each other. And ever since she had met Aang, he had stuck to her like a leech. A cute, friendly leech that she enjoyed having around. Now, she had no one. She was alone and lost in some strange place.

What could have been hours or minutes later, Katara noticed that the forest a couple hundred feet ahead of her seemed to have more light; more light meant that the forest was thinning out! Perhaps there was a village! Or even a farm! Anything! A smile stretched across her face as she broke into a sprint. Almost there! Wonderful! She would be able to find out where she was! Hopefully she would also be able to find a way to get to the nearest city where hopefully she could find news on Aang and Sokka's whereabouts! Katara pushed her legs faster and faster, dodging trees, shrubbery, and rocks as she reached for that opening! It was only fifty feet away now! She was almost there! Freedom sang out to her and the light caressed her skin as she got closer and closer! She almost broke out of the last of the trees when a branch snagged her leg, causing her to trip and fall flat on her face. The speed she had been running at caused such momentum that Katara almost blacked out when her head hit the ground. She lay there for a few seconds, trying to gain control of her body. Her knee cried out when she tried to move it, she must have hit it on a rock!  _ Dammit! _ She thought to herself.

Once the pain had subsided enough to the point where Katara could move without feeling like a platypus-bear was dancing on her leg, she slowly looked at the clearing in front of her. Her heart dropped into her stomach as her hope was swept away. There was no village before her, nor was there a  _ land. _ There was nothing, except a cliff that looked out at the ocean. Katara gently stood up, favoring her left leg as her right knee was still in a considerable amount of pain. She carefully,  _ carefully _ walked towards the edge of the cliff.  _ Thank Lui and Ta that I tripped!  _ Katara thought, almost in shock. If she had kept running, she would have gone right over that cliff, and while she probably would have survived the seventy foot fall with her waterbending, she would prefer to not to test her abilities like that.

With a shrug, Katara hobbled back into the forest. She found a nice stick and used it as support as she mad her way back to her little cave. She would need to rest her leg for a while. A deep sigh escaped her. She just wanted to be with her brother and her friend.

The smell of cooked rabbit filled the air as it cooked over a well-maintained fire. Nearby, the prince of the Fire Nation gazed at the forest surrounding him. It had been nearly three days since he had come to on this blasted piece of land. He had found out it was an island by walking around the entire damned thing. After he had lost that  _ filthy  _ waterbending peasant, he had decided to walk along the perimeter of the land until he found civilization. He had walked for hours, until the sun began to rise again, when he realized that up ahead was the very beach he had awoken upon! He had not seen a single sign of life during his stupid walk! What was he to do? He had no clue how far his ship was, nor did he have any supplies! He was alone and vulnerable (though he would never admit it out loud). After cursing the skies for a good few minutes, he walked back into that retched forest. He wished now that he had listened to his Uncles old war stories. There was probably something in one of those old stories that would have helped him now.

Zuko shrugged his shoulders as he slowly rose from his sitting position. He promptly removed the rabbit from the fire before it got too crispy. With a simple wave of his hand, Zuko extinguished the fire. It was still daytime and it was warm enough without it. Zuko tore a small piece of meat off the rabbit and stuck it into his mouth. He worked the juicy meat around, savoring it's flavor. He was about to bite off a large piece when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He was being watched.

Katara's mouth drooled as the smell of fresh cooked meat graced her nose. Her stomach complained loudly that it had not been fed in quite sometime and it wasn't fair to tease it with such smells! Katara willed it to be quiet as she concentrated. The smell had to be coming from nearby, perhaps there  _ was _ a house close by! Feeling every bit like a polar-bear-dog, she stuck her nose in the air and inhaled deeply. She tried to follow the delicious sent, still favoring her left leg. While her knee had almost a day to heal, it still bothered her. She heard the crackle of a fire briefly, but it soon disappeared. Katara gave it no second thought as she crept closer and closer to the source of the smell. Past the small shrubbery, she could see the last tendrils of smoke make their way up into the air. Katara crouched down and crawled closer to the source. She didn't know if these people would be friendly or not. Finally, Katara was able to see into the little clearing and what she saw she almost couldn't comprehend. She quickly covered her mouth to hide the sound of her gasp.

Before her sat Zuko, chewing on a piece of whatever animal he had just cooked. Fear seized Katara. How could she have forgotten about him! About that horrible boy! Surely, he still meant to kill her, though she still thought that it was an overreaction.

Katara's heart skipped a beat as the prince before her froze. She could see his back stiffen. Slowly, he raised his head. Katara held her breath. She had to get out of there, yesterday. Katara slowly,  _ slowly, _ tried to move back. Away from the clearing. She had almost moved a foot away when a twig snapped under the weight of her body. She could feel the blood rushing from her face as Zuko's head whipped around towards her. For a brief, horrifying second, they locked eyes. Katara saw the shock that soon turned into rage in his amber eyes. Without wasting a second more, Katara jumped up and tried to run away. She made it a good thirty yards before her knee objected to the rough treatment. Katara could feel her pace slowing. She could hear the prince running through shrubbery, trying to get her.

Katara pushed with everything she had. She had to get away from him. A scream escaped her lips as a fireball flew by her head and exploded on a tree nearby. Sweat broke out on Katara's brow as she tried to run faster, but only seemed to slow down. Air ripped through Katara's throat as she fought against her hunger and fatigue. Another fireball hit a tree to her left. Katara veered to the right. She dodged behind a large tree in time to avoid more fire. Before Zuko could reach the first tree, Katara took refuge behind another, bigger tree. She leaned against it's sturdy body, letting the rough bark bite into her skin. She tried to control her breathing. She desperately put her hand over her mouth in order to block the noise of her gasping. Silence fell upon the forest. Katara's eyes darted around, looking for any sign of the enraged prince. Her heart pounded against her breast, threatening to break through. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer, she needed air. She lowered her hand and greedily sucked in air- loudly. Katara's body doubled up on itself as she lowered herself to the cool earth. Her knee was screaming in protest to the running it had been subject to. Katara's entire body shook as the fear consumed her. The fire had been so very close to her. Tears of pain and fear built up in her eyes and try as she might, she could not hold them back. Soon she was silently sobbing into her hands. She knew she had to get up and get away, but the pain from her leg prevented her from even shifting it. Katara prayed to Lui and Ta to grant her either a swift death or a way to escape the wrath of the prince.

After a few seconds, Katara raised her tear-streaked face.  _ Where was he? _ She thought to herself. Surely he should have found her by now. Hope planted itself in Katara's heart. Could he have given up? As quiet as a corpse, Katara shifted her weight and peered around the tree at the forest she had just run through. There was no sign of Zuko. A sigh of relief barely escaped her lips before rough hands grabbed her body and pushed her back against the tree. Katara screamed and attempted to claw at the body of the person holding her, only to have her hands captured.

Zuko was squatting in front of her, holding her wrists captive.

"Well, doesn't this seem familiar?" He hissed.


	14. Fuel To the Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something happens. The author doesn't check her work after she writes and is, many years later, very embarrassed about all the errors in her writing. But, alas, she's too lazy to fix it.

Fear seeped into Katara's bones like ice water, causing her body to freeze. Zuko's grip on her wrists was tight and painful, but his hate filled eyes were what truly frightened her. His eyes burned into her, contrasting sharply with the coldness of her fear. A match between their two elements raged in her body. The fire threatened to consume her, leave her nothing but a smoldering crisp. When she couldn't take it anymore, she attempted to shake her captor off.

"Let. Me. Go!" She ground out between her teeth as she squirmed underneath the heavy weight of the Fire Nation prince. He grunted and tightened his grip while pushing Katara harder against the tree. Katara looked again into his eyes to find that they were by far too close. Their noses were almost touching.

"I said, let me go." Katara hissed. The fire in Zuko's eyes burned even brighter.

"Why? So you can try and kill me again?" He retorted, "I don't think so. I think you and I are going to have a nice little chat." With that, Zuko roughly grabbed Katara's wrists with both hands and literally dragged her across the forest floor back to his little camping spot.

Katara attempted to loosen his grip by wildly throwing her body about as best as she could. She would not be treated like some sort of animal! She yelled and tossed and attempted to stand so that she could run away, but nothing worked. Her leg was in agony by this point and she could barely concentrate on anything else. As Zuko dragged her now calm body into the clearing, Katara fainted.

Zuko waited for the girl to come to. He wasn't entirely sure why the water peasant had fainted, but neither did he entirely care. The girl had caused him so much misery in such a brief amount of time; surely she could suffer a little. While she had been unconscious, Zuko had taken one of the sashes from his robes and tied her to a tree in a sitting position. He sat across the clearing from her, keeping the fire between them, contemplating what his next move should be. As much as he wanted her to suffer, it would be useful to have her by his side. Zuko hated to admit it, but she seemed to know more about wildlife survival than he did. Even banished, Zuko lived comfortably. He never had to hunt for his own food, nor did he have to sleep outside. But how would he make her help him? His brows furrowed in thought as he glared at the waterbender. The soft light of the fire made her skin glow in the dying light. Her hair shined like something out of a story his mother told him as a child. Zuko furiously shook his head, trying to rid his mind of that particular train of thought. She was a filthy, water peasant. Nothing more.

The warmth of a fire greeted Katara as she slowly came to. Her eyes were captured by the radiance of a fire before her, so she didn't notice the prince beyond it until he spoke.

"Took you long enough." He said. Katara jumped and tried to see beyond the flames to no avail. Her mind was in complete chaos as she tried to figure out what the hell was going on. She attempted to stand, but was hindered by something. A little bit of focus made Katara realize that she was tied against a tree...again. Katara whipped her head about frantically, trying to find the prince.

"Right here." A voice whispered in her left ear. Katara shivered as goosebumps covered her flesh. The hair on the back of her neck stood straight up as she slowly turned her head to find the prince's disfigured face so close to her. Biting back her fear, Katara glared at him.

"You sure seem to have a thing for tying people up, don't you?" She mocked. Zuko scowled.

"Well you sure seem to have a thing for getting caught." He spat back. Katara shrugged, adding fuel to Zuko's fury.

"Do you realize what you have done?" He hissed, "You could have killed my crew!"

"You think  _ I  _ caused that tidal wave?" Katara yelled.

"I  _ know _ you caused it! You were so angry that you lost control of your bending and almost had everyone killed!" Zuko yelled just as loudly.

"Did you see the size of that wave? Do you honestly think I could cause that, even if I lost control of my bending? That would have taken at least three waterbending masters!" Katara yelled in defense. Sure, it hurt to admit that she wasn't exactly a great waterbender, but she would prefer not to have her flesh melted off her bones.

"Well-well...ARRRGHHH!" Zuko yelled as he shot flames into the air above him. Katara flinched back, pushing herself against the tree, trying to get away from the hot flames. After fire stopped pouring out of Zuko, he punched the tree right above Katara's head.

"Hey, watch it!" She yelled as a bead of sweat dripped down her face. She was in a horrible situation. The prince was loosing his temper and she had no way to get away from his fury.

" _ You _ watch it!" He yelled back at her. He brought his face close to hers, "Remember who you are talking to!" He hissed, sending spittle onto Katara's cheek. She wisely kept her mouth shut and looked away, genuinely scared for her life. The prince stomped away from her, back to the other side of the fire. Katara rubbed as much of the spit off onto her shoulder as she could.  _ Oh Tui and La, what have I gotten into? _


	15. Powerful Need to Eat Sometime This Month

Zuko stared into the flames of the fire, furiously thinking. Any chance of using the water bender's aid was gone now. Thanks to his temper. But it wasn't his fault! She was just so aggravating! Surely she could have at least tried not to make him upset! She did it on purpose, he knew it! If only he could  _ make  _ her help him, but he couldn't threaten people the same way Azula and his father could. Katara would call his bluff and run away as soon as he loosened the knot on the ropes. Zuko would be able to find her again, but it was time he didn't feel like wasting. He needed any help he could get, it was only luck that he had been able to catch the rabbit at all. Zuko continued looking into the fire, hoping the dancing flames would provide some sort of inspiration.

Katara winced as she tried to shift position. She had tried working her hands out of their bindings, only to rub them raw. She was exhausted, but couldn't lie down and was too uncomfortable to sleep in her awkward position. She had been sitting there for what felt like hours. The jerk-bender across the fire hadn't said a word since his little temper tantrum and Katara's leg was still in pain. She couldn't take it anymore.

"So are you just going to keep me like this till I die?" Katara asked sarcastically. Silence was the only response she got.

"You know, contrary to popular belief, it's really not that comfortable being tied to a tree for hours on end. Oh, and this may come as a shock to you, but I will need to go to the bathroom eventually, and, oh yeah, I have a powerful need to eat sometime this month. But don't mind me, I'm just the girl you kidnapped and almost killed at least fifty times."Katara ranted while she tried yet again to wiggle loose of her bindings. She winced with each movement, but kept on trying, "Do you even have shelter? Or do you plan to just sleep in the rain and catch your death? Why are you even out here still? Shouldn't you be in the nearest town, being all prince-y and what not? For another thing-"

"SHUT UP, WILL YOU?" Zuko yelled, causing the fire between them to leap at least fifteen feet into the air. Zuko clutched his head, trying to get her nagging out of his ears.

"Well excuse me." Katara muttered softly, earning a glare from the prince. Katara resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at the prince. She didn't want to risk getting burnt. She would never admit it, but she was terrified of Zuko when he lost his temper like that. She knew it was dangerous when any bender lost control, but when a firebender lost control, it only ended in pain.

Katara's stomach growled audibly. She hadn't eaten in what seemed like forever. The rabbit she had seen Zuko eating had been dropped onto the ground when Zuko gave chase. As hungry as Katara was, she was not about to eat dirt covered rabbit.

"Look, in all seriousness, you can't keep me here for ever, so why don't you just let me go, and wander off to the nearest village and hitch a ride back to the Fire Nation?" Katara said, giving up completely on her bindings. She could feel that her wrists had started to bleed and she didn't want to increase the risk of infection by aggravating them any further.

"You don't get it, do you?" Zuko asked, deadpan. Katara looked at him in confusion.

"Get what? You're a prince, I'm sure even in an enemy territory, you could find  _ someway _ to get what you want."

"There are no nearby towns." Zuko stated.

"Well then I guess you'll just have to search further away for one." Katara retorted.

"That's impossible."

"Why? Are you scared you might get a blister on your royal toe?" Katara yelped as the prince leaped up from his seat and briskly stomped over to her. He shoved his face close to hers.

"You  _ stupid _ , filthy peasant!" He hissed, "We are on an  _ island _ , a  _ deserted _ island! There is no other land within seeing distance and no one here to help us." Katara stared at the prince without really seeing him. Surely he was lying! Katara would accuse him of joking, but she doubted that he had any sense of humor.

This had to be one of the worst situations she could ever imagine herself in. Injured, tied to a tree, held captive by the person she hated the most, and to top it off, he was the only other person stuck on the island with her. She had no way to reach Aang or her brother. She didn't even know where  _ they _ were! Were they still looking for her? Couldn't be. This could NOT be happening. Focusing in on Zuko's eyes, Katara could see the undeniable truth within them.

"Let. Me. Go." Katara hissed, letting all of her anger seep out through her teeth, poisoning the air around her. Zuko felt a chill creep down his spine as the bender started to shake.

"No." He said, putting steel into his voice. Katara's eyes pierced his own.

"Why not?" Katara whispered in a voice as cold as ice. Zuko's eyes flickered for a moment.

"Why should I?" He retorted.

"I can think of plenty of reasons."

"And I can think of plenty of reasons to keep you here."

"Name one." Katara challenged. Silence followed as Zuko tried to think of a response. Finally, with a frustrated sigh, he sat back. He looked up at the sky in silent prayer asking Agni to guide him.

"Because-Because I need your help, peasant." He huffed, looking away from the water bender. An unexpected burst of laughter made Zuko snap his head back to the girl with a glare. She was actually laughing at him! Gone was her anger and cold demeanor. Laughter ripped through her body as she threw her own head back, eyes closed. Zuko's glare was wasted as he watched the young waterbender laugh at his expense.

"It wasn't that funny." Zuko muttered after a few minutes when her laughing had died down to giggles. Katara fought for control of her body, trying to cease the constant giggles. It took a few moments, but eventually, she could breathe without the threat of another girly giggle escaping her lips. She looked at the pouting prince and giggles threatened to start again.

"You know, if you wanted help, you could have just asked. Tying someone up to a tree after throwing fireballs at their head then  _ dragging _ them across the forest floor isn't exactly the best way to ask for help." Katara said, remembering some of her anger. His rough treatment of her had  _ hurt _ . Ashamed, Zuko looked down at the leaf covered forest floor in silence. He was a prince, he shouldn't have to  _ ask _ for help, but the waterbender was not one of his subjects. He knew she wouldn't help him simply because he was the Crowned Prince of the Fire Nation. In fact, she wouldn't help him particularly because he was the Crowned Prince of the Fire Nation.

"Why should I help you?" Katara asked, as if reading Zuko's mind. The Prince thought furiously for a good enough reason.

"Because we have a better chance of survival if we stick together," Zuko offered lamely. When he saw that Katara didn't seem to think that was a good enough excuse, he panicked and quickly added, "And I have ways to make you help me!"

"Like what?" Katara spat back at him, all humor she had previously held gone now.

"Like this," At that, Zuko created a ball of fire in his right hand. He watched the water bender. He could tell that she was fighting to keep her facial expression indifferent, but her eyes betrayed her fear.

"You know, threatening a person isn't exactly a step up from tying them to a tree." Katara said, trying to sound bored. She was thinking a million miles per hour. An idea finally came to her, "But maybe we could make a deal."

Zuko's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Why would she want to make a deal? What kind of deal? How could he trust her to keep up her end? Why would she trust him to keep up his?

"Explain." He said, looking deep in her eyes for any hint of lies.

"Well," Katara began, "perhaps in exchange for my help, you could stop trying to capture Aang." She finished quickly, it was a long shot, but maybe Zuko was desperate enough.

"Not a chance." Zuko said without hesitation.

"Why not?" Katara asked, trying her best not to sound whiny.

"I told you already, I need to capture him in order to-"

"Regain your honor," Katara finished for him, "I know, I know. But what is so honorable about kidnapping a girl in order to capture a 12 year old boy?"

"It doesn't matter how old he is! It's the only way my father-"Zuko cut himself off. Why was he telling her all of this? It was none of her concern! "Look, all you need to know is that I refuse your deal." He finished, looking away.

"Fine, how about if we get rescued, you let me go free." Katara shot at him.

"No. You are my key to capturing the avatar."

"Are you serious? I shouldn't even have to bargain for this! You had  _ no right _ to kidnap me in the first place!" Katara shouted at him. Annoyed, the prince stood up, towering above the waterbender as she sat tied to the tree.

" _ I AM A PRINCE! THIS IS WAR! _ I have the right to do anything!" He yelled, again, the fire behind him shot into the sky with every word that spewed from his mouth. Katara shrank back against the tree, but still met his eyes with defiance that burned just as bright as the fire.

"No, you  _ HAVEN'T!"  _ Katara yelled back just as angrily, "You are not  _ my _ prince, you have no say over me! I highly doubt a prince would stoop to the level of kidnapping a girl just to get at her friend! That aside, what 's the point of keeping me here? Hm? As far as I can see, neither of us are getting off this island any time soon, so unless by some random chance, Aang landed on this island, you have no need for me. How could I possibly help you here?" Katara demanded. Zuko glared down at the defiant water tribe peasant. He sighed heavily as his shoulders slumped forward.

"You've camped in the wilderness. You know more about survival in this type of environment than I do. Every time I had to camp out, my men took care of everything. I don't know what to do here on my own." Zuko refused to meet the waterbenders eyes as he openly admitted his weakness. Katara stared at him as she thought furiously. She couldn't run away; her leg would stop her.

"What if I refused?" Katara asked. The prince snapped his eyes to her.

"I won't allow it." He stated. Katara hear the threat as clear as day.

"What do I get out of this? When we get off this island, will you let me go?" Katara demanded.

"No." Lead dropped into Katara's stomach. His tone was final. Katara's mind reeled. Even if she could somehow work her hands free, she was in no condition to run away. And if by some miracle she was able to get away from the moody prince, she doubted she would be able to hunt or make shelter. She needed to rest her leg. At least for a couple of days. She just needed to heal.

Katara inhaled a sharp breath as an idea hit her. She could help the prince, at least until her wound healed, then she could make her escape. She looked up at the prince.

"First things first. If I'm going to help you, I can't be tied up to this stinking tree."

It had taken a while to convince the prince that she wasn't going to run away as soon as he undid her bindings, but Katara was finally away from the tree. She sat near the fire, as she rubbed her aching wrists. Zuko stood near the girl, not entirely trusting in her promise to stay put. Katara sighed in annoyance.

"Well?" The prince demanded, glaring at the seated girl. She looked up to him.

"Well, what?" She asked, meeting him glare for glare.

"What do we do now?" Zuko asked impatiently. Katara couldn't help but feel slightly amused by the haughty prince.  _ He's acting like such a child! _ She thought silently.

"Well, I suppose the most important thing is water. Do you have a source of fresh water somewhere nearby?"

"There's a stream about half a mile that way." Zuko stated as he pointed towards his left.

"Good. Now, do you have a shelter of some sort?" Katara asked. She waited for a few seconds before she felt she wouldn't get a reply.

"Zuko,"She demanded sharply, "Do you have a shelter?" The prince looked down his nose at the girl before sighing heavily and lowering himself to sit beside her. He muttered something too low for Katara to hear.

"What?"

"I said, I don't know how to make one." The prince repeated, looking away.

"Where did you sleep the past two nights?"

"Here." The prince gestured to the little clearing.

"You slept on the ground, with no cover above your head?" Katara couldn't help but giggle at the picture of the haughty prince shivering on the ground as he attempted to sleep.

"I fail to see the humor in the situation." Zuko said dryly. Katara quickly ceased.

"Well, we'll need to fix that first of all. I imagine we are going to be here a while and I would hate to be caught in a storm without a roof of some sort above my head." Katara mused. She decided to keep her shelter a secret. Should she escape, she would need a shelter of her own, "Well, they are fairly simple to make..." Katara went on to explain the steps to make a sturdy shelter that would last a while out of forest debris. All that was required was a wooden frame mad out of sturdy, thick sticks. Thinner sticks would then lean against the frame creating a circular lean-to shelter. The thinner sticks would then have mud, leaves and plants layered on top to create a waterproof, insulated wall. An opening in the middle of the shelter would allow smoke from a fire to escape. The small opening could easily be covered when it rained. The door would simply be an open portion of wall. A cover for the doorway could be made later on, perhaps with the hide of an animal.

When Katara finished her explanation the prince sighed and stood up.

"You go that way, I'll go this way." He said, pointing in two opposite directions. Katara looked at him.

"Excuse me?" She said.

"Sticks, peasant, we need to collect sticks. You go that way-"

"No, I think you're mistaken. I am not helping you collect supplies for this." Katara interrupted. The prince glared at her.

"Do you expect me, the Prince of the Fire Nation, to do all the work?" He demanded.

"Yes," Katara said, before Zuko could yell at her for her rude answer, she continued, "In case you didn't notice while you were  _ chasing me down,  _ I'm injured. I can barely stand. That is the only reason you caught me. That is also why you don't need to worry about me running away while you collect the supplies for the shelter."

Zuko glared down at the girl. He  _ had _ noticed a limp while she was running.

"Arrrgghhh!" He yelled as he stomped away from the clearing in search of sticks. He couldn't help but wonder just who was actually royalty here.

Katara snickered as she watched the prince stomp away. _This might not be so bad after all._ She thought silently.


	16. Little Mermaid

**CHAPTER 16**

**The Little Mermaid**

Katara looked at the debris hut and, as much as she hated it, she had to admit that she was impressed. The prince had created a good, sturdy hut and he only lost his temper about six times during the process. He now stood leaning against a tree, admiring his work. Even though he still had his signature frown and stiff posture, Katara could tell that he was happy- that he was proud of his work.

"Well, I suppose the next thing is food. We don't know when we'll get off this island, so we're going to need to set some traps so we can eat."

"Why do we need to set traps? I can just firebend any animal that crosses my path."

"And risk setting the forest on fire?" Katara demanded.

"I'm not so foolish as to loose control of my bending,  _ waterbender. _ " Zuko hissed, "Any fire I create, I can extinguish with the slightest of ease." Katara looked away, annoyed at the prince's advanced bending skills.

"Well fine. Just don't burn the animals to a crisp when you hunt them." Katara said more bitterly than she had intended.

"Well?" Zuko demanded.

"Well, what?"

"Well, what's next?" Katara looked to the sky. The sun was low in the sky, creating beautiful colors in the clouds.

"Nothing for today." Katara said as she used the tree to slowly pull her body into a standing position.

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked.

"It will be dark soon. There's nothing to be done when the sun sets. The safest thing to do is sleep and wait 'til morning to continue with the preparations." Katara explained as she began to slowly limp towards the stream the prince had told her about earlier.

"So what if it's dark soon? I'm a firebender, I can create light! What else is there to do?" Zuko yelled after the waterbender. She turned to look at him. Condescension heavy in her eyes and voice.

"I don't care if you are the sun spirit himself, it's dangerous to be in the woods after dark. Night time is for sleeping." Katara resumed her slow walk, "Want another tip for survival? A good night's sleep is vital." She added as she left the clearing in search of water. Zuko glared daggers into her retreating back. What could be so dangerous after dark? Surely, a firebender such as himself could handle anything that lurked in the night.

The sun was nearly set by the time Katara reached the promised stream; a small, silver ribbon of water that cut through the forest. A small sense of belonging touched Katara's heart as she stuck her feet into the stream. It had been such a long time since Katara was last able to relax and allow her element to wash away her worries. With a quick glance at her surroundings to make sure that the prince was nowhere nearby, Katara discarded her dress so that she wore only her bindings. With great care, Katara slid her lower half into the sandy bedding of a particularly still part of the stream. The water barely reached Katara's navel. The cool water felt soothing on Katara's knee. Relaxed, she tilted her head up to the sky. The sky above was painted with all the colors of a rainbow and Katara noted that the nearly full moon was beginning to creep into the sky. The world seemed to be in perfect harmony with the sun setting in the west and the moon rising in the east. Katara could already feel the power of the moon as it's light grew stronger. Katara shifted, causing a sharp pain to emit from her knee. The pain drew her attention away from the hypnotizing beauty of the sky. She glared at the offending knee. It was because of that knee that she had not escaped the prince.

Katara's eyes widened as an idea came to her. Perhaps, she could bend the water to swirl around her knee to bring down the swelling. Shifting so that only her injured leg was stretched out before her, Katara drew in a deep breath. As she exhaled, she moved her hands in a rhythmic motion, creating a circular current around her inflamed joint. As she did this, the water began to do something unnatural. The water around Katara's knee had started to emit a blue glow.

Zuko seethed as he sat staring into the campfire in his newly erected hut. He still felt humiliated that he needed that  _ peasant's  _ help. While Zuko knew there was no one on the island to witness his weakness, he couldn't help but feel that he was being mocked, perhaps by the forest itself. Earlier, the prince had felt a sense of pride upon completing the hut but, left to his own devices, a small voice in his head had convinced him that it wasn't truly a feat to be proud of.  _ Without the aid of that waterbender,  _ the voice had whispered,  _ you would have never known to make a shelter in the first place. You can't really take credit if it is not entirely your creation,  _ the voice added nastily. Zuko could see his father looking down at him, a scowl etched into his face as he said, "A true prince of the Fire Nation would never lower himself to seek help from a peasant, much less a waterbender. Never show your face before me." An enraged sound escaped Zuko's throat as flames shot through the hole in the middle of the hut. With a swift gesture, Zuko extinguished the fire and darkness flooded the hut, drowning him.

A few minutes later, the prince emerged from the shelter. The waterbender was taking too long to return.  _ Wasn't she the one preaching about the dangers of the night? _ The prince thought acidly, as he glanced at the darkening sky.  _ She ran away. She fooled you. _ The little voice was back, but Zuko fought back with it.

"She can't run, she's injured." He argued silently.

_ Injuries can easily be faked. You were duped. By a waterbender. By a peasant. _

_ " _ She's probably just splashing around in the water." Zuko snapped.

_ She's probably on the other side of the island, waving down a ship. _

_ " _ She wouldn't dare."

_ She left you to rot. You'll die alone. On an unnamed island. You will never regain your honor. _ The voice hissed, sounding more and more like a combination of both his father and his sister. Chills crept down Zuko's back at the thought of never being found. Being left alone for the rest of his life, with no one to bury or mourn him when he passed to the spirit world.

"No. I will escape, with or without the help of the waterbender." Zuko hissed, forcing the voice out of his head as he concentrated on his footing.

Mere minutes later, the stream finally came into view and Zuko stopped short. The peasant was sitting in the water in nothing but her under bindings ( _ Don't peasants have any notion of decency? _ The voice hissed) and she seemed to be glowing. A faint blue glow made the waterbender's skin appear blue and with only the upper half of her body above the water, she looked like one of the water spirits Uncle Iroh had told him about. Zuko raked his brain for the name of the spirit. They were famous for using their strange beauty to lure sailors into the water only to drown them for fun.  _ They are dangerous creatures, Prince Zuko. Beautiful, but most dangerous, those mermaids,  _ Iroh had told him. Mermaids! That's what they were called. Zuko couldn't help but stare at the girl as she slowly moved her arms in the water.

_ Snap out of it. _ The voice hissed, waking Zuko from his hypnosis. He quickly shook his head, as if to shake the power of the mermaid out of his mind, but took no action towards the girl. She was only in her underthings, and any decent gentleman would turn around and wait. But he didn't want to wait for a peasant, he was the Prince of the Fire Nation. Surely it was undignified for him to wait for a waterbending peasant. Zuko's mind was swept into a silent war as he tried to decide what to do.

Not even a minute later, tired of thinking, Zuko decided to go back to the camp and wait for the girl. He would pretend that he had been there the whole time. He was convinced that the girl wouldn't run. Surely she could see the benefits of teaming up.

As Zuko made to turn and leave, he stepped on a rather large stick and a loud "Snap!" gave away his presence. The glow that surrounded the waterbender immediately snuffed out as she whipped around to find the source of the sound. Upon finding Zuko, Katara's eyes widened and a gasp escaped her throat. Her fight or flight instincts took over as she stood up in the water.

"What do you want?" She demanded, glaring. Zuko spared only a second to glare at the offending stick under his foot before meeting the waterbender's death glare.

"You were taking too long, peasant," Zuko stated, attempting to sound casual.

"What business is it of yours if I want to bathe for a long time?"

"In case you were too busy splashing around to notice, the sun is setting," Zuko said slowly.

"So?"

" _ So,  _ weren't you the one who said it was dangerous?"

"What, where you worried about me?" Katara scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. Disbelief poured from her body. Zuko scowled at the girl. Why would he worry over her?

"No. You're just no use to me dead, peasant." He replied tersely. Katara's eyes narrowed at the prince. The saying "If looks could kill," crossed Zuko's mind briefly.

"Fine." Katara said. She walked out of the water towards her dress that had landed haphazardly on a nearby rock. Zuko caught himself staring at the girl again. The water droplets on her body glistened in the sunset, reminding him again of the murderous mermaids. It took him a minute to notice that Katara was staring at him as well, but her stare was one of annoyance. The prince blushed furiously as he realized that the girl had caught him looking at her exposed skin. He quickly turned his back to her with a muttered "Hurry up, peasant,". After a couple minutes, the waterbender walked past Zuko with her nose in the air. She didn't even look at him as she gracefully made her way down the ever darkening path. Zuko was surprised to find that she was entirely dry. The surprise quickly faded into annoyance as he realized that the girl had most likely used waterbending to dry off.

Zuko followed the girl at a distance. He couldn't get her mermaid appearance out of his mind.  _ It's only because of the light, she looked like something from The Spirit World. That's why I can't stop thinking about it. It's the light, not her. _ The light. Zuko had forgotten about the strange light after Katara discovered him.  _ What was that? _ Zuko thought furiously about the light as he watched Katara lightly hop over a log in the path. Zuko had never seen such a strange light. It had seemed to come from the water. His thoughts were interrupted as he did a double-take of Katara walking down the path. The realization struck him like lightening.  _ She's not  _ **_limping!_ ** Zuko froze on the spot. So she  _ had _ tricked him with her fake injury! She probably would have run away if Zuko hadn't come to get her.  _ She could still escape at any second!  _ Zuko realized. Anger flooded through his body like a raging forest fire. How dare she trick him! She was nothing but a  _ filthy, _ Southern Water Tribe  _ peasant! _ Zuko clenched and unclenched his hands as he realized that he had been right earlier. He had been duped. By a mere waterbender! Without a second thought, Zuko leaped into action.

Katara heard the prince running behind her, but before she could turn around to see why, a heavy weight knocked her onto her stomach. She writhed under the prince as he tried to hold her down on the ground.

"What. Are. You.  _ Doing? _ " She ground out as she managed to turn onto her back and began flinging her limps about. One of her punches landed on the Prince's good cheek before he pinned her hands above her head. Panic filled Katara and instincts took over. She kicked and bucked her body under the Prince's heavy weight. She screamed as she tried to knee the Prince in the groin, but he managed to block her attack with his own legs, all while maintaining the grip on her wrists.

"How  _ dare _ you?" The Prince growled at the girl below him. Everything in sight was tinted red. His rage had completely consumed him. Heat rolled off of him in waves. He noted with some grim satisfaction that the waterbender had stopped fighting and was shaking in fear. Her eyes widened to rival the moon's size as she stared at the demon above her.

"What?" She squeaked, barely managing to force the sound out of her throat. Beads of sweat rolled off of her body as the heat reached her. She could see the hate in the Prince's eyes and she was  _ scared. _ Surely, this time he would kill her. And for what? What had she done to deserve this? Her whole body was shaking as the air became even hotter. She couldn't find it in her to fight back. She had never been so afraid. Tears swelled up in her eyes. She didn't even notice when they began to spill over and run down her face onto the ground.

"How dare  _ you,  _ a  _ filthy _ , waterbending,  _ weak, little peasant,  _ trick me?" With each word Zuko ground out, his palms became hotter and hotter. More tears escaped Katara's eyes as she felt the heat on her wrists. He was going to burn her. He was going to burn her and she was going to die. She would die without saying goodbye to Sokka or Aang or Appa or Gran-Gran. She would die at the hands of a firebender, just like her mother. The thought of her mother lit a small fire of defiance in Katara. Her mother went out bravely, and so would she.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her voice stronger than before. She winced as the hands around her wrists became hotter still.

"You faked your injury—don't deny it!" Zuko added as Katara opened her mouth to do just that, "You faked your injury so you could trick me and run away the second I let you out of my sight. You were going to leave me here to rot on this  _ stupid _ island!" Zuko spat. Katara shook her head.

"No! I really was injured, I swear! By Tui and La, I swear it!" Katara's voice grew louder with each word as the prince added more and more heat to her wrists.

"Oh really? Then why weren't you limping just now?" Zuko demanded. His face was close to hers now. A leaf wouldn't have been able to fit in the space between their noses.

"I-I healed!" Katara gave a sharp cry of pain. Zuko's palms were almost as hot as fire.

"That's not possible! You can't heal in such a short time!"

"Waterbending! I used waterbending to –ahhh- to heal myself!" Katara said, the combination of pain and fear (which had broken past her temporary bravery) caused Katara to start crying.

Zuko's eyes widened. He had heard of waterbenders who could heal with their bending, but he hadn't thought it true. His rage subsided as he thought about how helpful it would be to have a healer around. He looked back down at the sobbing girl. Guilt and shamed filled Zuko as he realized what he had planned to do. He quickly cooled his palms, but the girl didn't notice and continued crying, her eyes now shut. The sobs racked Katara's body, making Zuko even more aware of the situation he was in. He was lying on top of a girl. Katara's crying caused her body to move under his in such a way that he blushed. With a grunt of embarrassment, Zuko rolled off of the girl and moved smoothly into a sitting position. Katara, thinking that Zuko was preparing to finish her off, didn't get up. She brought her burning wrists down to her chest and curled into a ball. Guilt filled Zuko. Sure, she was his enemy, but he had never intended to actually hurt her or her brother. All he wanted was to peacefully capture the Avatar and deliver him to his father.

"I-I'm sorry." He said as he looked into the forest. He still had his back to the waterbender. She quieted her crying, not believing her ears.

"I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry, Katara," Katara stared at him, it was the first time he had ever used her name, "Let's just go back to the camp."

Katara looked at the prince's back as she slowly rose from her fetus position on the ground. Zuko sounded sincere in his apology. But then Katara looked down at her wrists. Blisters had formed in the shape of a hand on both of them. The skin was red and still burned. Why would she go back with him? It was only a matter of time before he lost his temper again and really did kill her. Trying to make as little noise as possible, Katara rose to a standing position. She took a few steps away from the Prince.

Zuko, anxious to hear Katara's answer, turned to face her, only to find that she was standing a few feet away. Zuko quickly sprung to his feet, causing Katara to jump back in fright.

"It's alright," Zuko said in a gentle voice, "I won't hurt you. I swear. I'm  _ sorry, _ Katara." He said and he slowly held out a hand to her. Katara knew it was supposed to be a kind gesture, she knew that he merely meant to help her walk back to the cabin, but she couldn't help flinch away from the weapon that had caused her such pain. She could see the pleading in Zuko's eyes. He was begging her for forgiveness.

"Don't touch me." Katara whispered, ignoring the hurt in the Prince's eyes. Zuko knew he deserved it, but he really did mean to help her and it still hurt to be rejected when he was trying to be good.

"Katara," He pleaded, "Just come back to the camp. I'll treat the burns. Everything will be fine." But Katara had already made up her mind. Without a second thought, Katara turned tail and fled through the forest. Not seeing any other option, Zuko gave chase.

Adrenaline from Katara's fear made her run faster than she had ever run before. The forest was in full night, but the moon provided enough light for Katara to see and dodge most obstacles in her way. Stray branches bit into her skin and rocks and roots attempted to trip her, but she kept moving. She could hear Zuko's calls of "Wait!" and "Katara, come back!" fade into the distance. Katara ran longer and harder than ever before.


	17. Red Red Kroovy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Player 3 enters the game.

The rough bark of the tree dug into her skin as Katara leaned on it for support. Her breaths came in heavy pants and sweat mixed with blood from various scratches poured down her face as she weakly pushed her hair back. Katara had run until her lungs felt as though they were going to burst. Wheezing, she looked at her surroundings; the moon provided just enough light to see. A sense of deja vu flooded her when she saw a particularly large tree who's trunk seemed to split into three separate trees. She had ended up back at the cave! A small smile of relief graced her lips.  _ Thank Lui and Ta. _ She thought silently as she let her body slide down to a sitting position. Knowing where she was and that she would have shelter for the rest of the night filled Katara with a sense of safety. After regaining her breath, Katara pushed herself up and slowly walked over to the cave. Without ceremony, Katara flopped onto the ground and instantly fell asleep.

Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, was back in the hut. He stared deeply into the fire before him. He had apologized, so why did the waterbender still run away? He truly meant his apology, yet she looked at him like he was some kind of monster. He was no monster, he was nothing like his sister. If Katara had met Azula, she would have truly known what a monster is.

_ I told you she was going to run away. _ The evil voice whispered.

"Only because I scared her." Zuko thought. It was ironic, really. In his attempt to stop an attempt to escape, he had caused a successful one.

_ But it's not  _ really _ your fault.  _ She  _ was the one who ran away. You apologized, she should be grateful that a prince such as yourself would be so considerate. It was only a little burn. It won't leave a scar, she got off easy. She should have stayed. It's her fault you're alone.  _ The voice hissed. Zuko's fist clenched as he tried to block out the voice. Aggravated, Zuko extinguished the fire and fell onto his side. It took a long time before sleep finally captured him and by then, the voice was making more and more sense.

Katara's eyes fluttered open as she sat up. She winced as the dried sweat and blood cracked on her face. She tried to rub some of the crust off her face, ignoring the pain. Katara slowly stood up and walked out of her cave. When the sun greeted her skin, Katara reached her hands up as far as she could in a full body stretch.

A slight smile graced her lips as she thought about the new power she discovered. Eager to test out her healing again, Katara went off in search for the stream she had found during her first stay in the cave. When she reached the stream, she slowly, slowly, bended a small sphere of water out and eased it towards her face. A few moments later, there wasn't a trace of the various cuts she had acquired during her night run.

A low grumble distracted Katara from her thoughts. She panicked before she realized that it was her own stomach that had made the noise. When was the last time she ate? The thought chilled her as she realized that she couldn't quite recall. She wasn't even sure how long she had been on this horrible island. She knew it hadn't been too long, no more than a few days.

_ A few days. _ The thought echoed in her head. Her stomach growled again, demanding attention. Funny how now that she had noticed the growling, the pain of hunger soon followed. With a sigh, Katara set off in search of food.

A bird sang out, looking for a mate. The leaves rustled and cast shadows that seemed to dance with the light. Nearby, Katara's faithful stream gurgled softly. The cool rock supported her back as Katara watched the natural beauty around her. For the moment, she was at complete peace. Her stomach finally had something to keep it quiet (a few berries and fruits Katara had found). Sokka would be proud of her resourcefulness.

_ Sokka. _

The thought hit her like a fist, causing her whole body to wince. She hadn't thought about Sokka or Aang for such a long time! Worry filled her body like a flash flood. Were they okay? Did they make it to the Northern Water Tribe Yet? Where they eating okay? Were they worried about her? Were they looking for her? Or did they think she was dead?

The last thought filled Katara with more loneliness than she thought she was capable of feeling. What if they thought she was dead? What if Zuko was the only one who knew she was alive? Had she, in a sense, lost her family..again? Was she nothing more than a ghost to Sokka and Aang? A memory in their minds?

A moment of insanity gripped Katara. What if she really was a ghost then? What if she was simply a memory kept alive by the thoughts of Aang and Sokka? If no one thought she was alive, how could she not be dead?  _ I must have died in that storm _ . Katara thought as she slowly stood up. She walked towards the stream in a dreamlike daze. Her eyes searched the ground. When she found what she was looking for, she slowly bent over and picked it up. Without realizing what she was doing, Katara pressed the pad of her thumb onto the point. She gasped when a small bit of pain ran up her arm. Her body's blood beaded through the small opening on her thumb. Katara stared at it for a moment.

"HA!" Without warning, a rather loud laugh escaped her mouth. The singular laugh evolved into a fit of giggles. How could she have been so silly? Of course she was alive! Had she not just experienced hunger pains? Was she not breathing and thinking? Katara surrendered to her giggles as she fell to the forest floor, holding her stomach. She giggled and giggled until it hurt.

By the time the last of her laughs faded away, the forest was eerily quiet. Sure, there was the faint call of birds and bugs and the rustling of little animals, but something was missing. Something big.

" _ Voices." _ Katara realized. It struck her, this was the first time she had ever been truly alone. Back at home, you never went out alone. It was too dangerous; you could be attacked by polar bear-dogs or perhaps the ice under you could break and drag you to a cold, watery grave. This past few weeks, it seemed like Aang and Sokka were never more than a meter away from her. No matter where she was, in her entire life, she was never without the voice of another. The thought of being well and truly alone sent a shiver down her spine.

"I'm not  _ entirely  _ alone," a small voice whispered in her head. But surely the prince didn't count as company! Had he not just tried to kill her? There was no way she would go back to him just for the sake of hearing another person. Her life was slightly more important than the comfort of socializing.

Katara's eyebrows drew down in deep thought. She had to get off this island. Now. With a burst of energy driven by motivation, Katara stood up. Without wasting a second more, she marched off, following the stream. It would lead her to the ocean eventually.

"Grrraaahh!" Zuko yelled as he kicked a rock out of his path.  _ Everything _ on this stupid island was against him! He had woken up angry and was entirely convinced that it was all  _ her _ fault. If she had simply obeyed him and treated him like the prince he was, he would be in a great mood! Well maybe not great...after all, she had gotten him on this island in the first place! Her entire existence was a curse to him. No wonder the avatar hadn't come back for her! She was bad luck!

Zuko ran a hand over his head. He noticed, with annoyance, that he was getting a fuzz on his head.  _ Great _ , he thought _ , how am I supposed to shave on this stupid island? _ Zuko kicked another rock out of his way.

At first, Katara had thought the lump on the sand was merely a pile of seaweed. Upon further investigation, she found that it was in fact the body of a boy! At first she had screamed a bit, thinking him to be dead; but when he shifted at the sound of her, she ran to him. The poor boy was covered in bruises and cuts. His hair was crusty with salt and his lips were chapped. He was clearly dehydrated. His breathing was shallow and his heart was weakly beating.

With effort, Katara managed to drag the boy over to the shade of the forest. Without a second thought, she ran to the stream she had followed. She slowly bent some fresh water out of it and carefully walked back to the unconscious boy.

Finally, after what seemed like hours (thanks to her constantly loosing concentration and dropping the water), she had healed everything she could on the boy and even forced him to drink some water.  _ I shouldn't be calling him a boy, _ she thought to herself,  _ he seems older than me. _ She studied the face of the unconscious "boy" before her. His face was thin and angular. His eyebrows, even though he was unconscious, seemed to be furrowed. His brown hair came down to his chin in layers. And from what Katara had seen while healing him (she had to remove his torn shirt to attend to all of his wounds), he was fit. He had the body of a fighter.

Too tired to move him any further, Katara sat beside him, praying to Lui and Ta that he would awake soon.

"Ugh." The groan woke Katara up. She hadn't even realized that she had fallen asleep. The angle of the sun told her that she had been out for at least two hours. She rubbed her eyes and stretched. The groan reached her ears again. With a gasp, she remembered the boy she had rescued. Her eyes shot to the ground where he was still lying, his eyes fluttering open. He groaned again.

"It's okay, stay still. You're probably still hurt." She murmured. The boy's eyes shot open and in one fluid motion, his body whipped up into a fighting stance. After a second, he faltered and would have fallen to the floor if Katara hadn't reached out for him in time. She caught him awkwardly due to the fact that she was still kneeling on the ground. After a moment, the boy pushed her away and stumbled back. Katara slowly stood up.

"It's okay, calm down." She cooed.

"Who are you?" The boy demanded, swaying on his feet.

"My name is Katara. I found you on the beach. You're hurt. You need to sit down." She gently explained.

"Where am I?" He asked, ignoring her advice.

"An island."

"Which one?"

"I...I don't really know."

"What?"

"I don't know where we are. I fell off a ship and ended up here." Katara explained, all the while slowly moving closer to the boy.

"What about the locals? Have you tried to ask them?" He asked, not noticing her closing in.

"There are no locals, it's a deserted island." Katara said, "Please, sit down. Let me help you." As if admitting defeat, the boy leaned into her open arms. Katara helped him to sit down.

"So...there's no one else on the island?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that, but you don't need to worry about that now. Right now, we need to get you to shelter. My place is half a mile in the forest. Do you think, if I helped you, you could make it there?"

"Yeah." The boy said. Katara could hear a stubborn note in his voice. He would make it.

"Before we go, could I ask you one question?"

"Sure."

"What's your name?" The boy looked at Katara, his brown eyes searched hers for a moment.

"My name is Jet."


	18. Voices

By the time the two teenagers had made it back to Katara's shelter, the sun was setting. Katara was surprised how fast the day had passed. The boy, Jet, was lying in the cave; the last of his strength having been used by the journey. Katara, in an effort to help the boy, had attempted to use her bending to bring him some water to drink, but was too tired to concentrate fully and ended up dropping the ball of water next to him on the floor. Katara stomped her foot in frustration.

"I'm sorry, Jet, I'm just too tired to bend." She murmured. Jet muttered something, but Katara didn't catch it. She leaned down close to him and asked him to repeat.

"Use..moss."

"Moss?"

"Take a...chunk of moss and...let it soak up water." He rasped.

"Are you sure it'll work?" Katara asked doubtfully. Jet slowly nodded his head in confirmation. Without wasting a second more, Katara did as he asked. She found a patch of moss and ripped out two large chunks. After submerging them in the water for a minute, she carried them back to the boy. She gingerly pressed the moss to Jets lips and he slowly sucked out the water. Some of the water dripped out of the corner of his mouth onto the ground. Once he finished, Katara wiped his face dry with the hem of her dress. Katara "refilled" the moss once more before she was overcome with exhaustion.

"I'll get you more water tomorrow, as well as some food. I promise." She whispered as she checked his forehead for the telltale heat of a fever. He was slightly warm, but it wasn't too bad. He would be fine if she took a quick nap. Giving Jet as much space as she could (which wasn't a lot due to the smallness of the cave), Katara lowered her body to the ground and was instantly asleep.

Zuko glared out into the darkness. His stomach growled like some kind of beast. He hadn't eaten all day. He could find no easy prey to hunt and he didn't know what fruit was edible and what fruit was deadly. _ I bet you  _ **_she_ ** _ knows. _ The snide voice hissed. He had to find her again. This time, she wouldn't escape.

_ Why don't you just ask for help? _ A new, timid voice asked.  _ Yeah, look at how well that worked out last time. _

_ Well, if you could control that temper of yours, she wouldn't have run away, you know. _

_ Sure, she would have. Why would she stay with me? _

_ I don't know, maybe because you're the only other human on this island? _

_ So? _

_ So? So a girl gets lonely being by herself. Do you really think she would rather be alone when she could be with someone? Even if that someone is you? _

_ Yes. I think I'm the last person she would want to be with. _

_ But you  _ **_are_ ** _ the last person here. It doesn't matter who it is, as long as she has some form of company. _

_ Well, with that logic, why didn't she stay last time? Huh? _

_ You know why. _

The silent argument with himself went on and on until the late hours of the night. Before Zuko passed into the realm of sleep, the voice whispered, " _ Remember, you are not your father". _

"Stupid, stupid birds." The Prince grumbled as he sat up. The sun had only just risen and the birds were already making enough noise to wake an army. Zuko crawled out of his hut, blinking as the sunlight filled his vision. He felt...different. Lighter somehow. Here, on this island, there were no nations, no war, no royals. Just him and the island...and the girl. He was just a normal human, just like her. There should be no reason why they couldn't get along. Hope sparked within him. He could make it work. All he had to do, was be civil. He wouldn't threaten her or harm her, he was not his father.

Zuko stood in the full sunlight, letting it's heat purify him. Feeling like a new person, he walked off in search of the girl, Katara.

"Good morning, Katara." A smooth voice greeted as Katara pulled herself into a sitting position. Jet sat across from her, eating berries from a pile in front of him. Katara smiled.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Great, almost 100% back to normal," Jet answered with a smile, "I even got some breakfast while you were sleeping," he explained, pointing to the berries, "Help yourself."

"Don't mind if I do." Katara said as she popped a berry into her mouth. She savored the sweet juice as she chewed, "What kind of berry is this?"

"They're just called Pink Berries, they had lots of them were I'm from." Jet explained.

"Where would that be?"

"Earth Kingdom. But I was in the part that the Fire Nation invaded, so me and my friends were in hiding."

"I'm so sorry." Katara said. Jet looked out the opening of the cave, as if the subject pained him. Katara thought he would want some time to think, so she lapsed into silence.

"I miss them."

"What?" Katara said, not quite hearing the mumbled words.

"My friends," Jet explained, "I miss them. We called ourselves the Freedom Fighters; we were orphans of the war. We would try to oppose the Fire Nation any way we could. We had to leave our woods after a failed attempt to reclaim the town. We stowed away on a boat headed for Ba Sing Se when the captain found me. He threw me overboard to drown at sea. I don't know if the rest of my Fighters were caught or not."

"Jet..."Katara muttered, her heart aching for him. Tentatively, she reached out and patted his hand in a comforting gesture, "The Fire Nation killed my mother, too."

Jet looked into Katara's eyes. He smirked.

"I guess we have a common enemy, then." He said as he covered her hand with his other one. A faint blush rose in Katara's cheeks.

"Well, I..erm...better go wash up." Katara said as she pulled her hand out of his and slipped out of the shelter, "I'll be right back!" She called as she made her way to the stream.

Katara was bending the water out of her hair when she heard footsteps behind her.

"I was just finishing up, you can bathe if you want, Jet." She said as she dropped the excess water back into the stream.

"...Who's Jet?" A quiet voice asked. Katara's pulse quickened. She whirled around to face the person behind her.

"What do you want, Zuko?" She hissed. The prince held out both of his hands in a such a way that said "I mean no harm".

"I just wanted to talk."

"I'm sure."

"Really, look, I'll sit down." Zuko said as he sank to the ground, "Who's Jet?" he asked again, keeping his palms faced outwards.

"What do you want?" Katara demanded, ignoring his question.

"I wanted to...to apologize. I wanted to apologize for the other night and how I've been treating you." Zuko said, looking Katara in the eyes, trying to convey his sincerity.

"You? Apologize? Did you eat poison berries or something?" Zuko looked down in shame.

"Look, I know it seems weird, but I thought about it last night and I realized that we're both human. I had no right to treat you the way I did, especially when you had just helped me. I want to become a new person. I don't want to turn into my father. I think that, if you are willing, if we work together, we have a better chance of surviving this and getting off this island," Zuko explained desperately, "I swear, on my life, if we get off this island, I'll leave you and the avatar alone."

Katara stared at the Prince. She had no reason to trust him, but at the same time, she felt that he was telling the truth.

"You tried to kill me." She accused. Zuko looked down in shame.

"I know. I'm sorry." Katara glared at the prince. After a few moments in awkward silence, the prince looked up.

"Who's Jet?" He asked. Katara looked at him, startled.

"..A boy."

"From the island?" The prince asked, confused.

"No, he was washed up on the beach, he...went overboard on a boat."

"So there's another person on the island? You're not alone?" Zuko did his best to keep emotions out of his voice. If Katara already teamed up with this person, she would have no reason to join him.

"No, Jet's staying with me."

"If we all teamed up, three have a better chance than two." Zuko pointed out. Katara kept silent as she thought.

"Let me talk to him first. You should go now." Katara said as she walked past the sitting prince.

"Everything okay?" Jet asked when Katara reached the cave. Katara looked at him. This was going to be quite an explanation.

"Do you remember yesterday when I told you that we weren't exactly alone on the island?" She asked.

"No, not really." Jet said, looking confused.

"Oh well...I said that."

"So there's other people on the island?"

"Well, there's one other person. I wasn't alone when I fell off the ship." Jet stared at Katara, waiting for further explanation. She sighed heavily.

"You see, when I fell off the ship, I took another person with me and he ended up washed up on this island with me."

"Oh really? Where is he then?" Jet asked, looking around as if expecting someone to pop up from behind a rock.

"We...separated after an...argument." It wasn't exactly a lie.

"Okay..."

"Anyways, I ran into him when I went to the stream and he apologized and said he wanted to join us. I told him I would talk to you about it." Jet looked at Katara, thinking.

"Well, if he apologized and it was just an argument, I don't see why not. The more the merrier."

"There's one more thing you should no about him...he's from the Fire Nation." Katara rushed. Jet's face contorted with rage.

"Fire Nation?!" he yelled, "A rat from the Fire Nation is here, on this island? And you are suggesting we team up with it?" Jet shot to his feet, "Are you forgetting who's responsible for our parents' deaths!?" Katara looked at him in shock. She did not expect such a nice boy to be so full of rage. Sure, she hated the Fire Nation, but in situations such as this, did it matter what nation anyone was in? She watched warily as Jet paced the small confines of the cave.

"We don't have to team up with him, it was just a suggestion." Katara said. Jet sighed.

"Katara, he's  _ Fire Nation,  _ you shouldn't even have considered it. Remember, the Fire Nation knows no mercy, so we shouldn't show them any either." A shiver went down Katara's back at the cold words.

"I'm sorry." Katara said, not because she felt sorry, but she felt that he expected her to apologize. Jet gently patted her head.

"It's fine, as long as you stay away from him from now on." Jet said with a slight smile. Katara smiled back, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Zuko roasted the small rabbit over a quickly made fire. He was lucky to have spotted the animal on his way back from talking to Katara. His stomach growled as the scent reached his nose. Thoughts of the girl and this Jet guy plagued his mind.

Who exactly was Jet? Where had he come from? If Katara had him, would she need Zuko? Now she had absolutely no reason to work with him. She had company, she had someone to help her, why would she want to be anywhere near Zuko? But what if this Jet was smart enough to realize that three is much better than one...What if he persuaded Katara that they should join with Zuko? Hope flared once again in the prince. Yes, that's probably right!  _ I'll go back tomorrow, they'll have decided by then.  _ The prince thought with confidence.

Jet watched the young waterbender sleep. She seemed so innocent, lying on a bed of dead leaves. So young. Not like when she was awake. Awake, she took on the maturity of a mother, a women aged well beyond her years. At times, she reminded him of his own mother. He would catch her watching him, making sure he really was healing okay.

How could a girl like her know someone from the Fire Nation? Why would she even let one of them near her after loosing her mother to them? Why wasn't she filled with a red rage, like him? A thirst for revenge. A desire to make each and every one of those damn Fire Nation people suffer for what they did? In a way, he envied her. This rage had consumed him, taken over his life. All he knew was rage for the Fire Nation. For a day, he wouldn't mind not thinking about it. Just being concerned with every day trivial things. But he wouldn't forget the rage. He couldn't. For eight years, it had possessed him, turning him into the Freedom Fighter he was today.

"You lucky, naïve girl." He murmured as he moved close to her sleeping form. In the moonlight, she looked like some sort of benign, delicate spirit. She was beautiful. Gingerly, he trailed his fingers down her cheek.  _ It wouldn't be too bad, _ he thought lightly _ if I was stuck with only her on this island. _ Exhaustion overtook him then and there and, without thinking about it, he laid down next to her and the dream realm claimed him.

**Author's Note:**

> I am sorry for what you have just read, and for what you are about to read. Again, please know that I have grown as I writer (I like to think so, anyways).  
> Let me know what you think. But please, be gentle.


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